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February 12, 2012

Home > 2009 > JuneChristianity Today, June, 2009
SERIOUSLY DISTURBED
The Loudest Cheers in Heaven
One day, God's invisible heroes will gain due respect.




Heading home to California recently, a friend and I passed through the Dallas–Fort Worth airport. On the way to the connecting gate, we heard loud patriotic music playing and saw a group, mostly women, wearing colorful hats, cheering, and waving American flags. The troops were coming home, and here was their welcoming committee.

Two women encouraged us to grab flags and join in. We were early for our next flight, so we took places in the makeshift greeting line. At first, a few soldiers just dribbled by. We whooped and waved our flags furiously. Then the pace picked up as dozens of men and women in uniform came barreling through. We kept repeating: "Welcome home! We're glad you're back! We appreciate you!" Some soldiers wiped away tears, while others displayed huge, self-conscious smiles.

One young soldier looked not a day over 15. The young women were just like all girls their age: each guy had a backpack, but the girls had rolling luggage loaded up with four or five bags. We laughed. "Women! It doesn't matter whether you're in the Army or heading to Macy's. We have to have our stuff!"

After 45 minutes, it was time to catch our flight. We hugged the organizers and thanked the vets who had come to honor this generation of soldiers. As we sank into our seats for the flight, we felt humbled by participating in this sweet moment of coming home. It was impossible not to draw the obvious spiritual parallels. These men and women had taken oaths of faithfulness and service. They had fought courageously, lived with deprivation, danger, and disease, and took unbelievable risks, all for the good of our nation.

But as great as America is, it is a temporary place. No nation lives forever. As believers in Christ, we are all soldiers in the Lord's army. We, too, take oaths of fidelity, sacrifice, and service. Our oaths of allegiance are to a kingdom that shall never end—a country where there is never a mistake in leadership, where justice flows down like a river, where poverty, disease, terror, hunger, and greed hold no power.

Scripture teaches us about the welcome and rewards we will receive when our battle on earth is over. Artists, writers, and theologians have all taken stabs at imagining what those moments of heavenly welcome will look like. Comics even joke about "a rabbi, a priest, and a pastor" at heaven's gates. But that afternoon, we were not thinking of Saint Peter jokes. We were visualizing the very moment when we would step into eternity.

As my friend, Elizabeth, and I looked at each other, the same thought crossed our minds. Through misty eyes, she said, "If I get there first, I'll be on your welcoming committee. I'll be jumping up and down, screaming, 'You made it! I'm so proud of you!'"

I laughed and said, "Oh, you're not going to beat me. I'll be there before you. I'm older. I'll be at the head of the line to greet you!" In that moment, heaven was more real than the smell of the stale coffee in our foam cups.

What I'm really wondering about is this: Will we be surprised at who gets the biggest welcome? I'm not coveting more high-fives, but I am dimly aware of something so profound and holy that I can barely put it into words.

All of us fight unseen battles every day, each believer a secret soldier locked in battle with forces no one else can see. The bravest among us are not necessarily those who fight with guns or tanks. The bravest person you know might be your husband or wife or neighbor or coworker who goes on living one more day when every bone in his or her body says it's no use.





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Displaying 1–5 of 27 comments

doranna cooper

June 04, 2009  7:52pm

Ephesians 6 does speak of spiritural warfare and to be equiped to be ready to go into battle, which is knowing the Word of God, 2Tim 2:15. Thanks Kay for the great article, we sometimes forget the quiet battles that are being fought all the time and those spiritual battles are very important. Also, we think we must recognize others or to be recognized that we forget that what we are suposed to do is what is pleasing to God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and not for earthly praise. I think we have gone overboard in recognizing every little feat and accomplishment of our children so when they become adults if they do not get praise they will be unable to function.

Steve Skeete

June 02, 2009  9:25am

Paul, writing in response to Alison, says: "The New Testament does not speak with war metaphors or illustrations, except when war is being used as a negative image to portray the killing of "the saints". Maybe Paul spends too much time making negative comment and not enough time reading the actual Bible. If he did, he would realise that his statement contains not one iota of truth. For starters, he needs to check the following New Testament texts: 1 Corinthians 9:7; 2 Corinthians 10:4; and 1 Timothy 1:18. In none of these verses is war used as a "negative image to portray the killing of the saints" or anyone else for that matter, but is regarded as struggle, or extreme effort expended in a a noble cause. I would caution Paul not to "rush in", nor use the Bible to support his ideas and notions. One must be fair to the Bible, and say only what it says and not what one wants it to say. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------

mariam

June 01, 2009  2:39pm

God bless you. this article has really refreshed my heart. i am ready for still more fight on earth, with my Lord standing beside me.

alison

June 01, 2009  1:21pm

Well said, Jim. I couldn't agree more.

Jim

June 01, 2009  9:29am

I take offense at Paul's reaction to Kay drawing parallels from one homecoming to another homecoming. She never glorified the mission of the soldiers. She drew the same parallels between the military and being a Christian that Paul made in his letters to fellow believers (read 2 Timothy 2:3, for instance). Paul used many illustrations to drive home points to early Christian believers (fellow soldier, bondservant, etc). So to use the obvious parallels between the military and our own mission as Christians isn't out of line at all. I am no fan of the reasons why we invaded Iraq. And yes, many tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and millions more have been displaced. Yes, many thousands of our service members have come home with PTSD and CSD and have tried desperately to rebuild their broken lives. As one such person, I can say that Kay's analogy is right on and in no way offensive to me. Axe grinding should be done in more appropriate forums.

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