Fear and the Military Life Part 1

D knew he wanted to be a Marine from the time I first met him in junior high. He always talked about his dream of being a Marine. He went and visited the recruiter several times while we were in high school. A couple of his buddies went with him, but he was the only one that actually followed through with it.

Can I handle being married to a Marine and all that entails???

Fast forward a few years to when we get married, and it’s time for us to leave family and friends as we head to our first duty station. I now had a little Munchkin to care for on my own with no help from anyone. We didn’t have family around, and we didn’t know anyone. D was gone a good bit for training.

Can I be a good military wife?

Fear started to creep into my heart about this new journey that we were taking. Would I be able to be a “good military wife”? Would I be able to take care of Munchkin on my own? I was young and often alone. I wanted to be a great wife and mother, but could I really do this?

Can we make it as a young military family?

Satan used these simple questions to start to place doubts and fears into my head. Thankfully, D and I had each other. By being away from our family, we learned to really depend on God and each other. Our relationship grew as did our faith in God. We learned that although we may be alone, we were never lonely. God was always there for us.

Can we do this alone?

Those early years were never easy. Satan knew how to use my fears and doubts against me. I took comfort in knowing that God was on my side and that there were many strong military wives that had gone before me. If they could do this, then I could, with the Lord’s help, do this as well.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

~ I Peter 5:6-9 ~

This post is part of the Living Fearlessly in 2010 hosted by Iris at Grace Alone.