Together in Battle

There are battles that we face each day, and we can be confident that we are not alone, that God goes with us, and we can take great care to rely on Him. We also see that the Bible teaches that He brings people into our lives for us to encourage. Galatians 6 states:
1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

The law of Christ, referred to in verse 2, is predicated on God's love for us and our love for each other. Even the law is given in order that men and women may be right with God and to live in right relationships with fellow human beings. We can appropriate what the Lord has provided so that we can be strong in our own battles and so that we can walk alongside others who are struggling.  In humility and with a servant's heart, we can offer ourselves to be used of Him.

+++++

In an age of conflict and division, Christians are called to chart another course, to demonstrate love for and even responsibility for other people. In Genesis 4, we see the story of two brothers, Cain and Abel - we pick up in verse 4:
(4b) And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

One of the great lessons of Memorial Day is that we are all involved in spiritual battles, and we need each other.  We think about those who have risked and given their lives for a cause greater than themselves, and we recognize that they did not go into battle alone.

The film, My Brother's Keeper, had a limited theatrical run not long ago and is now available in home video.  It stars T.C. Stallings, who has an amazing story of his own - you may be familiar with him from his work in the films War Room, Courageous, and A Question of Faith. 

My Brother's Keeper was shot in the Columbus area and the filmmaker, Ty Manns, lives in Phenix City. Local television station WTVM spotlighted the movie around the time of its release.  Manns said that the story is "somewhat based on my father’s experience when he returned home from Vietnam..."

Stallings said, regarding his character, “The movie does focus on the struggles he has with PTSD, but then there’s also the struggle of faith..." The article notes that Stallings, "is not a military veteran, but did extensive research on PTSD for his role as decorated war hero Sgt. 1st Class Travis Fox." He said, “That’s how I got some of the mannerisms I would show, listen to soldiers talk about how [PTSD] felt, what their dreams were like. You listen to some of the people, real people, and you just want to do it justice..."

Manns served 24 years in the Army, and his last stop in the military was at Fort Benning in 2003.  His father served and his two sons are currently in the military, according to the NowHabersham website, which relates that Manns had a long-term desire to make movies. 

WTVM reports that Manns...

...was 10 years old when his father came home from war and it got so bad that their mom packed up the kids and left.

“We watched his lifestyle, we saw it spiraling out of control,” Manns said about his father back from war. “They couldn’t afford professional counseling, so they went to see the pastor.”

His dad, a war hero, eventually became a pastor himself. Manns said that turn to God is a key part of his latest film.

“The faith had to be [in the film] because it was the faith that saved our family years ago,” Manns added.

The stories of bravery during times of war fuels the celebration of Memorial Day, and we can remember the boldness that God gives to each of us to fight the battles we face.  On so many occasions, we have internal struggles - resisting temptation, or being healed and restored if we have succombed to it. Like it or not, we live in a world where the spiritual enemy is present, and we need to rely on the resources, the weapons of our warfare, that God gives. 

The title of that film, My Brother's Keeper, speaks powerfully to a phrase used in Scripture. Cain asked the question in Genesis 4, and the Bible goes on to show that the answer is "yes."  We are not designed to go through life alone; we are placed in the family of God, the body of Christ, so that we can draw strength from one another.  We can be agents of encouragement as we take that responsibility seriously.