With perspiration dripping from his face, Jim, a dejected young soldier, trudged through deep sand toward his hooch (tropical shelter) as memories of Christmases past raced through his mind. There in Cam Ranh Bay, South Viet Nam, the Christmas of 1966 would certainly be different. No home cooked meals, no family celebrations, no fireplace and hot chocolate, no snuggling with his wife on a cold wintry night. The officer missed his home. In fact, the emptiness left a crater-sized ache in his stomach, and loneliness so severe that he choked back tears.
Then from a distance he heard the faint sound of men singing “Silent Night, Holy Night.” Instinctively he felt drawn toward the melody and followed it to a rustic, open-air makeshift chapel. When he stepped inside, he discovered men of all colors and religious persuasions sitting shoulder to shoulder, singing about Jesus’ birth. He quietly scooted onto the bench in the back and added his quivering voice to theirs.
He admired a beautiful mural on the far wall, a painting of Jesus, dressed in a white robe, with uplifted arms, rising from the nearby South China Sea. In a mysterious way, Jim’s emptiness gave way to an inner glow as he participated in the worship service and listened to the nudge in his heart that whispered, “I have something just for you.” Jim soon recognized and began to appreciate his gift, not one wrapped in colorful paper and ribbons, but a reassuring sense of God’s presence and His provision of a spiritual family to offer encouragement and hope.
As my husband, Jim, related his experience, he remembered Bible verses learned from his youth. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1: 9). “…He himself has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).
The reassuring words helped Jim focus on the real reason for Christmas—Jesus and His gift of sacrificial love. Because He came and paid for our sins with His own blood, we have forgiveness, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to give us peace, comfort, and the strength to stand firm during trials and testing. While Jim’s circumstances had not changed, Jesus brought peace and joy to his soul because he knew that no matter what happened, he was not alone.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the commercialization of Christmas here in the U.S. that we
miss the real meaning of the greatest gift. Wherever we may be, at home or abroad, Jesus wants us to know Him through a personal relationship. Only then can we know the abundant life He gives.
Dear Heavenly Father–bless our men and women in uniform wherever they are serving today. Calm their hearts, protect them, and comfort their families in their absence. Give them the opportunity to hear and respond to the good news that Jesus loves them and He came to give them the gift of forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life in Heaven. In Jesus’ name, a-men.