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Waking Up: Remember who you are
Imagine that someone was claiming that you were a fraud, that you never really earned your rank or your medals. It wouldn’t be difficult to demonstrate that they were wrong. You would show them proof of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. You would point to the certification letters (“To All Who Shall See These Presents, Greetings”) that accompanied each award and promotion.
Satan tries to steal your joy and persuade you to doubt your legal identity. Don’t let him. Through your adoption papers (i.e., baptismal certificate), God is named as your Father. St. Peter called you no less than God’s chosen people, God’s royal priests.
Sometimes a person’s rank actually means military life is a little bit more difficult for them because of their added responsibilities. But even given the extra difficulty, that person would never willingly give up the promotions he or she earned. In the same way, your royal identity ironically explains why your life is so hard sometimes. “The LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:12). Yet you would never willingly give up the identity that your Savior earned for you. What a comfort it is to know that our loving Father has an eye on our hardships to make sure that we are not overwhelmed. What a comfort it is to know that none of our suffering is in vain—he will make every bit of it work for our good in one way or another.
Imagine that someone was claiming that you were a fraud, that you never really earned your rank or your medals. It wouldn’t be difficult to demonstrate that they were wrong. You would show them proof of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. You would point to the certification letters (“To All Who Shall See These Presents, Greetings”) that accompanied each award and promotion.
Satan tries to steal your joy and persuade you to doubt your legal identity. Don’t let him. Through your adoption papers (i.e., baptismal certificate), God is named as your Father. St. Peter called you no less than God’s chosen people, God’s royal priests.
Sometimes a person’s rank actually means military life is a little bit more difficult for them because of their added responsibilities. But even given the extra difficulty, that person would never willingly give up the promotions he or she earned. In the same way, your royal identity ironically explains why your life is so hard sometimes. “The LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:12). Yet you would never willingly give up the identity that your Savior earned for you. What a comfort it is to know that our loving Father has an eye on our hardships to make sure that we are not overwhelmed. What a comfort it is to know that none of our suffering is in vain—he will make every bit of it work for our good in one way or another.
Scripture
About this Plan
The experience of serving your country overseas--and sometimes seeing firsthand man’s inhumanity to man--may teach you important lessons about life while turning your stomach at the same time. But recognize that God has an even better way for us to learn life wisdom, a way that continually draws us closer to him no matter how far from family or church we might be. Because of his great love for us, he would much rather make us wiser through words. In this way we wouldn’t be sadder but wiser; we would be wiser and happier. The Bible’s book of Proverbs is an absolute gold mine of wisdom for the daily decisions you must make. It will help you develop your personal values and tune your life’s agenda more closely to resemble God’s.
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We would like to thank Time of Grace Ministry for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.timeofgrace.org
