Submitted by Kimchi Blow
When most military wives hear the word “deploy,” it sends us on an emotional roller coaster ride. We’re tempted to take our spouses and families, pack up and go AWOL! Some of the thoughts and feelings we experience might be fear, anxiety, loneliness, depression, or even death. Why does this word “deploy” make us feel so vulnerable? As military wives we must learn to accept this word on more positive terms. Yes, it is our duty! “Why?” you might ask, or some might say, “ I didn’t sign up for this!” Well, in fact you did when you married your military spouse. News flash, “You are now a deployed soldier too!” You are the soldier who stays in the rear and keeps the mission going at home. Just like your soldier, your orders are now set, you have a specific mission and self-sacrifice and bravery are needed! Your spouse’s job entails defending a nation at all costs. Yikes!! Maybe some of you didn’t think about it before you jumped in and said, “YES!” Then again, some of you did. Either way, deployments are not an easy thing to accept, never mind to endure. It takes courage and more than that it takes faith.
The word “deploy” in Webster’s is defined as such: “apart, to spread out, position according to plan, to be deployed.” As spouses, we only hear the word “apart” and a year of taking on a lot of extra responsibility! Let’s look at what the Greek translation says about the word “deployed” from scripture. Now there’s a concept, looking at what God says about it and not how we “feel” about it. The word “deployed,“ from the Greek word arak, means to “arrange in rows, put in order, take up position and to set a value.” Wow, I like the last one, “to set a value!” Notice there were no negative words, such as fear, loneliness, anxiety, or even death. However, I know that our emotions tend to rule our thoughts and words, but as Christian soldiers deployed in God’s Army, we must look past our thoughts and let truth rule! After all, God tells us in His Word to hold all our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Let’s look more specifically into God’s truth and focus on the definition for deployed, “put things in order.” What might God be trying to put in order during a deployment? Hmmm, one thought is our nation. Another thought could be our personal and spiritual lives. How many of you know that God works all things out for those who love Him? Yes, even deployments! Have you ever noticed that when you have gone through a deployment, your time with God becomes intimate? He takes your vulnerable places and your desperate need to survive and forces you to cry out to Him during these times. It gives us the opportunity to grow and be placed in such an order with God that peace exudes from our present circumstances.
The next definition for the word “deployed” means to “take up our position.” Wow, what could God possibly be trying to put into position during a deployment?” Well, our positions could mean our authority both here on earth and also in the spiritual realm. When our husbands deploy they are taking on the position of authority across the nations to protect, serve and defend. God created our soldiers for this very purpose! This is part of their destiny in Christ. This is powerful! This is God using them in great ways for our nation and other nations, not to mention for the greater Kingdom of God. Do you realize that because of deployments people in other nations have heard the gospel? Think about the effects of your soldiers standing in their rightful position and how it can impact lives. Now, let’s think about your position as a spouse who is left behind to survive. What is your “position”? Well, it is simply to be a support to your soldier, your family and your nation. Your position is just as important and holds just as much respect as the one who holds the weapons on the physical battlefield of life. God is placing you in the position to hold the weapons of warfare in the spiritual, where the real battle is engaged! Fire away and let’s not forget there is an enemy out there ready to kill, steal and destroy, especially during vulnerable times, like deployments. Danger is always eminent. The greatest position you can take is when God calls you into praying using the power of His name!
Moving on, we see that the word deployed means to “set a value.” What is more valuable to this nation than people who believe in its very foundation? So much so, that they are willing to defend it! God’s word says it best, “No greater man than this, than he who will lay down his life for his brother.” This ladies, has value! The Lord requires us to serve selflessly, to not think of ourselves in a deployment, but rather the greater cause at stake. In doing so, we sacrifice and die to our emotions, thoughts and plans, and we place Christ’s work above our own lives! This is invaluable!
In the end, deployments are never easy. But through them, we have the opportunity to place that stigma aside and make it the best year. With every great sacrifice comes even greater change. God requires us to not only love Him but also to honor Him in all we do. Deployments are part of our worship to Him, a sacrifice of the heart and an endless message that we are not only in this for us, but more so, for Him. So, the next time you hear the word “deployed,“ think of it along these terms: God is giving you an opportunity to be deployed into a position of order and make a valuable impact for others. After all, our life is not our own, but rather, it is the Lord’s to deploy.
