He left his home to fight for his country

He left his children and his wife

He gave everything he had to his country

He was sent to Iraq to fight for his home

Days and nights, he ran through gunfire

Checking the ground for bombs

Watching his brothers and sisters die next to him

Then one day he was captured and tortured

He remained in captivity until he was freed by his comrades

He was beaten, abused and tortured

All he thought of were his children and his wife

All he thought about was what would happen if he never came home to them

He knew his duty to his country

He also knew his duty to his God and his family, they came first

All he knew was he was coming home no matter what

He was beaten so badly so many times he should've died time and time again

But all he thought about was coming home to the ones he loved

When he was freed

He was given an honorable discharge and allowed to go home

He will never forget the horrors he faced and watched others face

He will also never forget the happiest day of his life

When he came home to his children and his wife

The tears that soaked his shirt as his wife ran to him and cried as she clung to him

He would never forget his children who had grown a head taller, cling to him and their mother

This is the story of the lone soldier

What do you see when you see me?

Says millions of people around the world

What do see in me?

It can't be anything good

I walk down the hall not a single boy ever looks at me

Why do all the girls try to stay clear of me?

All I see when I look in the mirror are the labels

Fat, stupid, worthless, unlovable, *******, hopeless, future less

How can anyone see anything good when they see my face?

I spend all my time under a hood walking through halls

Slipping between classes

Hoping no one sees me

That may be what you see when you look at yourself

That may be what people tell you

But I'm here to tell you something different

Jesus says something different

He says

I made you in my image

I created you to be you

I didn't make you to feel guilty after eating a simple meal

I didn't breathe life into you so others could tell you what you are

I already made you to be who you are

And don't you dare think that those labels were true because when I see you all I see is beauty because I love you and my love for you is endless

I love you enough to die for you

When I see you

I see what I created

Says Jesus Christ

I'm surrounded by skirmishes

Blood is ankle deep

Comrades who gave up the fight

Comrades who are still fighting

My friends who grow weary from the shadow of battle

Demons who think they can slaughter God's children

Like wolfs that devour sheep in the night

But these sheep were given swords

I'm sick of shouting to people I love like brothers

DON'T GIVE UP!!

DON'T LET HIM WIN!!

DON'T YOU DARE LET THE DEVIL WIN!!

My brothers gave their lives to the cause of Christ

Yet I'm surrounded by brothers and sisters like me

Who are so plagued by sin and the darkness that we wish we could just pull the trigger and let it all end

Yet it wouldn't end

I refuse to give the devil a chance to get what he wants

First because I love my God and others here on earth

Second because I've got streak of stubbornness that doesn't give up ground souly out of spite

I will not throw away a gift others died for

Brothers and sisters

GOD GAVE YOU A SWORD PICK IT UP AND SWING!!

Yes there's a war raging and you are called to arms

Don't let Satan get what he wants to take when Jesus has so much he wants to give

Pick up that Bible and read

I know sometimes it's hard

I struggle too

I've been where you're at and it's at those times

I remember the Holy Ghost lives in me

Jesus already won the war and the devil wants to create an illusion of his victory

God the Father stands watch over me and he put the sword in my hand

The Holy Ghost gave me the spirit of courage

GOD GAVE US THE STRENGTH TO FIGHT SO PICK UP THAT SWORD AND FIGHT LIKE YOU'VE NEVER MOVED BEFORE!!

SLASH THROUGH THE ILLUSIONS!!

STAB THROUGH THE TEMPTATIONS

BASH THROUGH THE TRIALS

ACCEPT CHRIST INTO YOUR SOUL AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN STOP YOU WHEN HE IS WITH YOU!!!

The battle is raging all around

But we aren't fighting for victory

You see Jesus already won on the cross

We merely fight from the victory

Why do we as humans do this

We struggle with desires and pain

Yet we keep coming back for more

More burns more bruises

We walk straight into the fire that first destroyed us

It's like we don't know any better then to walk through the pain we wanted to leave behind

Why do we keep walking in circles

I hate circles

I just want to walk a line

Jesus gave us to walk in freedom

The fire keeps coming after us

But Jesus uses the fire to forge us

And he provides water to put out the fire