Hope and Help for Military Families

It's appropriate that our summer radio broadcasts available on our website focus on David: The Shepherd Warrior. Like our military families, David's family struggled with the consequences of war. And just as it was for David, so it is for us. War is hell. This is not a political statement. Over 200 years ago, thousands upon thousands of American citizens lost their lives and even more thousands of families experienced trauma beyond imagination as the United States struggled to establish her identity as a free nation. We celebrate this historic time in America on July 4, Independence Day. The price of freedom is the blood of Americans and thousands continue to pay that price, if not with their physical lives, then with long separations from family as they travel to foreign lands in response to the call of our government. Today, the number of military personnel who commit suicide is staggering. Our government is so alarmed by the lack of emotional support for returning soldiers, Marines and Sailors, that they have asked psychiatrists to donate counseling time. Other military leaders have admitted that the resources they offer are sadly lacking. We often forget that it's not just our soldiers, sailors, Marines and National Guardsmen and women who pay a price. War impacts their families as well. Military families have the same struggles as every other family. But extreme anxiety created by fear over the safety of their loved ones, the added stress of long separations, preparing for and experiencing deployment, and fear of the unknown magnifies those struggles. When Sharon spoke at women's conference in Japan, she met numerous Navy wives who described the difficulty of transitioning from being in charge of every family detail to sharing that responsibility with their husbands when they returned from sea. They talked about rebellious teens who couldn't fathom having to listen to their dads when their dads knew little about their lives. At that time, resources for dealing with such every day stress were minimal.

Through out Learning to See When the Lights Go Out CD library, you can offer help and hope to our military families. Help us send a complete set of the Learning to See When the Lights Go Out library to a military chaplain or a military family counseling center. Our military families serve us, please help MARKINC Ministries serve them.

In His grip,

Dr. Chuck Betters

MARKINC Ministries, its staff, or volunteers accepts no liability for the content of this blog, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. Any views or opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of MARKINC Ministries.