God Marveled at the Soldier Who Understood Authority and Faith + Honoring Veterans

Did you know that it was a soldier who understood Jesus better than almost anyone during his time walking the earth?  In this Veterans Day episode, we talk about how:

• The soldier whom Jesus marveled at can still teach us today.
• It is morally right to honor our veterans and their families.
• Everyone faces change and loss, but most of us have never gained the skills to navigate them - so we talk about it.
• It is crucial to regard the many personal and tactical skills you do have to shift to a new sector in our workforce, and how much you are needed.

Here are links to content talked about in the episode:

• The Grief Recovery Program
• Hiring Our Heroes
• Boulder Crest and Post Traumatic Growth

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

For this episode of Getting Personal With God, I have a very specific focus and I couldn't help myself because it's almost Veterans Day when the podcast is coming out. So I happen to have a great respect and regard for our veterans and all that they do for us, and we often take for granted. So I basically hit on three things. One, it's morally right to honor our veterans. Two, it's a soldier who understood the kingdom of God better than most people ever did when Jesus walked on the earth. And third, veterans have many skills that fit in many areas, and certainly the focus and mentality and teamwork that will profit any company. And boy, do we need your skills and attitudes and abilities in pretty much every sector of our workforce. So if anyone belongs in our communities, it's our veterans. So know that there are millions of us who are fans and who are all for our veteran communities thriving after military service, and we're grateful for all you've done and all those who are serving today. So here we go with the episode. Do you love God but forget to pray? Or feel guilty instead of enjoying his presence? I understand. I know how unsatisfying time with God can feel if we believe he's distant or busy. I'm Lenora, mom, Jesus lover, and former international trainer. If you're looking to feel closer with God without fear or pressure, have a greater ability to receive from him, and desire more confidence to make an impact with your own life. Well, get some coffee and let's talk. If you're carrying stress and want support with prayer, I wrote a book to help you. 100 Prayers, Releasing 100 Cares. It's full of real stories, scripture, and 100 prayers for every part of life. A link to the book is in the show notes. At the time of recording this episode, it is almost Veterans Day. So I simply had to honor our veterans. If you are a veteran or a family member of a veteran, thank you for your service. Thank you for your support for our country. I understand that only about 1% of our population serves in our military, and I appreciate you. I thank you for your sacrifice, and I ask you not to compare your service time to someone else's. You did it, period. Thank you. My father happens to be a Korean War veteran. He served in 1953. Well, he served for eight years, but in 1953 he was serving for the Korean War in MiG Alley. He was a crew chief for Saber Jets. He never talked about it very much. And he served before he was married and I was ever born. So I honestly learned all the more about veterans from veterans that I was honored to serve with. I had the privilege of directing a program for young people and for our veterans. Now, really, the program for the veterans was actually run and driven by our veterans, but I was able to help communicate and educate our own corporate staff. I was able to work with outside organizations and promote work and interact with our veterans, which I will always consider a great honor. So I want to touch on a couple things today. And for the first part is it's biblical to honor our veterans. Romans 13, 7 talks about giving honor where honor is due. Do you know that it's morally wrong not to honor yourself if you served as a veteran or if you're a veteran family member? And again, it's not about comparing I did four years versus someone who did 30 years, but let's honor that you served your country, period. You're volunteered your life. Most of our veterans today did it strictly as a volunteer. So again, thank you. It's our general moral obligation to honor each other as human beings made in the image of God, but it is a moral obligation to say thank you and honor our veterans because you put out your life, willing, if need be, to lay it down for the rest of us. And that is truly something to be respected, acknowledged, and celebrated. It's too easy to think of things we could have done different, could have done better, or it was nothing. I don't think that helps us feel satisfied with the purpose in our own life. If you served in our military, thank you for serving the purpose of protection. The next thing that was brought to my mind when I thought about this episode was I want to tell a particular story that came to my mind about Veterans Day and getting personal with God. It's an amazing story, in my opinion. Matthew chapter 8, verses 5 through 13. It's also in the book of Luke. A certain rank of soldier was called a centurion. And that man came forward to Jesus, appealing to him, saying, Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly. And Jesus said, I will come and heal him. But this is what the centurion said. Lord, I'm not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. And get this. This is what he said next. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go and he goes. And to another, come and he comes, and to my servant, do this and he does it. When Jesus heard this, he marveled. He was amazed. And he said to those who followed him, the people around him, Truly I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into outer darkness. And to the centurion, Jesus said, Go, let it be done. Let it be done for you as you have believed. And the servant was healed at that very moment. Now that's powerful. Jesus did miracles all around the nation of Israel. Crowds came, followed him. Sometimes it said they followed him because he gave them food to eat. Others followed him just to see more miracles. But this is one individual, and it happened to be a soldier who understood Jesus was a man under authority. This is a big deal. And again, I thank God for our military and for our veterans who understand the power of authority, the power of a chain of command. And this centurion soldier understood that Jesus didn't even have to be physically present to heal, because authority operates through command, not proximity. He recognized Jesus had command at a higher realm, because he translated it to the miraculous. He must have been watching what had been going on over the weeks or months. Now the book of Luke adds that actually the centurion sent Jewish elders on his behalf, showing humility, because he knew he wasn't a Jew. And the centurion had built a synagogue in that town. He showed great honor to God's people. He had some understanding of the Jewish faith. Though he was a Roman, he really regarded the kingdom of God and he recognized it. Now, about the word authority, it means delegated or confirmed, conferred authority, the right to act, the power to command and enforce obedience. Not a brute force, not suggestions, it's authority rooted in structure. Jesus was under the authority of Father in heaven. And I'm just so impressed and proud that it happens to be a soldier that understood Jesus better than most did. And today, a lot of Christians don't know the authority in the name of Jesus. And yet it's people like soldiers, those who understand authority, recognize this isn't spells. When God has power, this isn't some weird fairy thing, some weird, like you conjure up some witch's brew. This is a kingdom with authority. And the people that have authority have it because they're under the name or the organization that owns the authority. And the soldier recognized that Jesus' authority flowed because he was submitted to a higher source. Again, the Father. Later on in the Gospels, which is in the New Testament, first four books of the New Testament, Jesus said, If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. Another place in prayer, Jesus says, Father, I've shown them who you are. I've made your name known. And what better day to celebrate a soldier recognizing God than Veterans Day? Again, what another reason to honor the kind of integrity, the kind of respect and strength that our military members have had and their families who sacrifice and serve along with them. Historically, a soldier has a powerful story forever about understanding Jesus Christ and who he was, and how I wish for every single one of you to know him today, to call on the name of Jesus, the King of Kings. We can each come under authority and have all of the life that he provided, because that's what he came for. John 10, 10. I came that you'd have life and have it to the full. I want every one of our veterans, veteran family members to have life to the full. Now, because I work with our veterans and I understand some things about transition from veterans out of the military, and I understand some of the struggles that some of our veterans have had for various reasons when they have gone into civilian life. That's my desire is to encourage you. Because any kind of transition, transition from one job to another, transition in life, in relationships, and transition out of a career of service going into the civilian life, all of those changes involve loss. You're gaining something new, but you're giving up something you're comfortable with. Or you may have suffered greatly in your service, and you don't know how to untangle all that. Deep impacts based on what you experienced. So let me remind you of a verse that says, Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. And there are different ways to mourn, but part of the mourning process, whether it includes tears or not, it certainly includes some communication. And I hope you will reach out. And if you have any need, because of grief you have or anxieties you deal with, or you don't understand what you're wrestling with, as a veteran, let me encourage you to be the man or woman of courage that you are by reaching out for help. Again, God said in Genesis, it's not good that we're alone as people, as humans. We need each other. We're made out of relationship. God said, Let us make man after our likeness and our image. Elohim and Father, Son, Holy Spirit means we came out of a God of relationship. We're made for relationship. So to be strong requires emotional courage. Courage to say, I need help. Courage to say, I don't know how to do this. Courage to grieve. Grieve traumas you faced, grieve loss and change. Express the things you were grateful for and don't know how to do differently. Express things you want. Something I'd like to recommend, and I will put a link to this in the in the episode notes, is I highly recommend the Grief Recovery Program or several other organizations that help with dealing with loss and change. It's a normal process. We all go through loss, but most of us have not been given the tools to process loss and get into a good place again. You know, I'm all for teaching us how to build a life, build a career, build skills. That's good. Yet we all face loss, and most of us don't really know how to do that. I went through a time where both my mother and my children's father were fighting cancer. I mean, it was my ex-husband at the same time. And it was tough. Uh now, obviously, we were hoping and praying for complete recovery from cancer. And I've seen miraculous things with cancer, but in this case, both of them passed away about three months apart. And as I was getting towards that, I said, God, I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to do this. I need tools. And I ended up coming across the Grief Recovery Program. And I am so glad I did. Later on, I got certified in that program. So I highly recommend that book, that website. They have coaching. There's quite a few things you can do. But let me encourage you, you're not supposed to stuff it. You're not supposed to just pretend it's okay and power through it or keep yourself busy. There's a lot of myths with grief. Even if you can find someone just who doesn't have to be a therapist, just a heart with ears to hear you talk through some things you wish were different, things you were grateful for, things you want to choose to forgive so that you're free. Certainly forgiving yourself. When you express some of these things, you're untangling a bunch of unsaid conversations inside. And it sounds so simple, but it's incredibly powerful. Plus, I know what it is to weep when you need to weep. I know what it is to mourn in multiple different ways. But what I know is true and have experienced is that you can get back to a very good place. Don't let your quote new normal be carrying massive weights on your back and in your soul for the rest of your life. That's not what God has intended for you. And there is a pathway through it to a beautiful place again. When I went through a period of great anxiety, I grabbed my book again and just kind of kind of like that Russian roulette thing when you just open a page and hope you find something you need to hear. And I did. And it was a reminder that sometimes the root of fear is grief. Sometimes we know what we've lost. You've lost a person, or you've lost a job, or you've lost what's normal. But sometimes we don't recognize what we lost. A whole sense of safety. Maybe that's what you lost, a sense of being safe, a sense of having purpose, a sense of knowing what I'm on this earth for, knowing what I'm supposed to do today. That's legitimate loss as well. And when you can get in touch with those things, you can grieve the loss instead of thinking, I'm just stuck in this place that feels lost. So please pursue grief recovery program with Cole James or one of their many counselors, or go through the Hiring Our Hero program, or another excellent program specifically for veterans. And I'll add a couple of those names again into the show notes. But then the third thing, I want to encourage you, as a veteran, you have many skills that you have to offer. If you are serving currently and headed toward transition out of your military service, or if you're in those first few years and been struggling with it, let me remind you of a couple things. It's always smart when you're going through transition to have a bridge. What do I mean by that? Meaning if you can stay somewhat connected to what you had in the past, maybe some contacts from your past relationships while you're also building new relationships. Some of you have some great families and a lot of structure there to help you, and others don't. But there are many people who care, many people you can begin to build relationships with. I do recommend going to a good church that does believe the Bible, and also it's important that you look in the mirror and have gratitude for yourself. Speak to yourself, become your own best friend in the sense of saying, Hey, you matter. What you did matter, what you have inside of you matters, you do belong, and there are great things ahead for you. Another verse, Jeremiah 29, 11, is so smart. Imagine that. God's super smart. It's the one where God says, I know the thoughts I have towards you, thoughts that are good and not evil, to give you a hope and a future. God knows how important hope is. And hope, in his definition, is a good expectation, an anchored good expectation for your future. And he has a future for you. If you're struggling with suicidal thoughts, then I can tell you, you're not thinking about a good future. But God, I don't care what's going on, God has a good future for you because he's good. So the last thing I want to say is to just remind you about a path forward. Have a strong bridge, build a strong bridge, meaning stay connected to some people of your past where you can while you're building some new territory, while you're building some new connections, new relationships. When we're going through change, it's nice and important to remember what hasn't changed, what people in my life haven't changed, what things about my life are stable, so you don't feel like everything is changed, because that's intense. Be purposefully grateful to yourself. Heck, I used to look in the mirror and I felt like an idiot when I did this at the beginning, because I'd look at myself in the mirror and just say, I love you, Lenora, or feel like an episode of Friends. I remember there was one like that. Anyway, squirrel, I could get distracted way too easily. Anyway, looking in the mirror, and I would tell myself, you're important, or say just good things, encourage myself. And I felt like an idiot when I first did it. And I certainly didn't believe it. But keep doing it until you get comfortable, being kind to yourself, loving who you are, respecting who you are. Let me remind you, you did not make yourself God made you. He does the making and the saving. So quit thinking you have a right to put yourself down because you actually don't, which leads right to forgiveness. Ask God, help me forgive myself or help me forgive so and so, because that'll make you free. And you choose it, not because somebody's deserved it, but because Jesus Christ paid for everyone's sins. He took the punishment for it so that you would be set free. I don't know what you may have been through, but Jesus, well, they thought they were flat out murdering him, and they did murder him, but they couldn't have taken his life. That's another episode. He laid his life down for us. So he and he picked his life back up. Yes, I absolutely believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And by the way, death is the foreign object, not life. That's another episode, too. Anyway, forgiveness will set you free. And that's why Jesus paid for all of our sins. So that we could be free and have a relationship and a hope and a future. Again, do your best to stay connected to what hasn't changed that you want to keep. Express what you're grateful for. Forgive whatever needs to be forgiven. Ask God to help you with that. And let me tell you, you do have skills. Again, my father was a veteran in the Korean War, and he had taken one math class that somehow got him into that area in the military where he became a crew chief on saberjets. That was the first war where they ever had jet engines. And that military experience allowed him to get into multiple opportunities from other companies later on because of the skills he gained in service. Let me give you one or two hints about what to do if you're looking for work and you have a veteran background. So again, you do have skills. Take the time to translate the veteran language into whatever that business language might be. Whenever you change even career sectors, each one seems to have their own language, acronyms, etc. It's the same with you. So take some time to read websites, read job descriptions, and begin to recognize wait a minute, I think what they're saying here is the same thing I did. One thing you can do is call a company you think you have an interest in and say, may I have an informational interview with one of your hiring managers? Now these days you can Google any of these things I say. So look up informational interviews. Use ChatGPT or Grok or something to use your military terms and ask it, what skills does this fit in the business arena? And when you're in conversations, remember that you're someone who understands teamwork. You understand work ethic, a great attitude, being adaptable, how to handle a stressful environment, so many different things. And you need to acknowledge those good things in you and know that they are needed in every sector of business. So I'm not even sure how to wrap this up, except to say again, thank you for your service. And please remember that it was a soldier who understood Jesus Christ more than most people during his entire life. Bravo. And I'm happy at any time to honor our veterans. Thank you and your families for your service. Hey, friend, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Would you share this with someone else who may need to hear it or go on this journey with you? Also, please take 30 seconds and leave a quick review for the show on Apple Podcasts. And of course, subscribe if you haven't already. It really makes me happy to know this podcast is helping you. And remember, a link to get my book is in the show notes. Thank you for listening. I'll see you back next Monday for another episode. Until then, remember to be kind to you because it makes it a whole lot easier to be kind to anybody else.