Conversation With a Soldier

I sat next to an army soldier on my last airline flight and our 4-hour conversation has been stuck in my head ever since, kind of haunting me. One of those incidents that proves God is busy arranging our schedules despite our best efforts to organize them ourselves.

My new friend had just spent 24 hours at home with his mother in St. Louis after 7 months in Afghanistan. He was dressed in uniform and thrilled to be heading to Seattle to spend a few days with friends before going back to his duties in the field for 3 more months. I'd never had the opportunity to spend so much time with an active duty soldier so I must have seemed quite enthusiastic. The image of children rushing into the arms of fathers coming home from war or men in dress blues surprising fiancées or saying good-bye to friends and family in the airports has always brought a lump to my throat, but one-on-one interaction? This was a first.

Our conversation started with how the war is going. It then led to stories, pictures, and even a video on his laptop of an I.E.D. exploding in front of the vehicle they were driving. I got to hear about one particular soldier who has such a knack for doing what he does in the army that he will probably be hard pressed to find a suitable profession back here as a civilian. Turns out he's an excellent killer.

When I told my new friend that I would love to know how I can be praying for him and the 75 men under his command, he was quick to respond with their information and specific prayer requests, which I wrote in my prayer journal. Once he saw the Jesus fish tattoo on my ankle our conversation turned to more spiritual topics. God. Fear. Pornography. Homosexuality. The more we talked, the more our views diverged, but I was fascinated.

He asked me if Jesus were walking the earth today, where did I think He would be spending His time. I told him I thought He'd be holding hands of those dying from AIDS, or feeding homeless guys at the Union Gospel Mission, or having beers with guys in the Rollin' Log Tavern. That answer seemed to please him. You see, my new friend doesn't actually believe in God, but the idea of Jesus hanging out with guys like him was very appealing.

It's appealing to me, too.

And as a girl who sometimes thinks boys are yucky, 75 of them in the middle of the desert without the means to go metrosexual is not my idea of pleasant. But during the entire length of my conversation with this soldier, I kept sensing God's overwhelming love for him and the guys he serves with. And I was overwhelmed with gratitude for what they're doing so I can live such a comfortable and safe life here.

And I wondered if I had represented Jesus well in our conversation.

Or in my life.

He said I seemed like a "genuine person" and "not too judgmental" for a church lady. Should I be glad? Is there more?

I've been praying for those guys for days now, trying to find specific Scripture to pray for them and to get my head around what life is like for them day to day. It's all part of the journey God has me on and I'm learning to embrace it fully as I go.