Discover how God may be calling you to serve right where you are. This encouraging reflection explores loving your neighbor, supporting those closest to you, and finding purpose in everyday faithfulness.
This article originally appeared in the Just Between Us Weekly Digital Magazine.
By Catherine (Draeger) Pederson, Ph.D.
I sat, staring out the window. I was still praying, crying, and wondering what to do when my husband got home. He’d left a short time ago to attend the third funeral in just over six months of a friend and co-worker. In such a short period of time, I had watched my husband iron his uniform with sharp creases and wear a black memorial strap over his badge. I was at a loss. I know I am supposed to support my husband, but I didn’t know how. I hadn’t read a book or been in a Bible study that covered this subject, and I didn’t have friends I could call who had been there before. I was scared, lonely, and afraid of the unknown.
While sitting in that same chair some years ago, I had a lot of time to think. Both my husband and I were in careers we loved. My husband was developing into a very fine police officer protecting and serving our community. For the first several years of his career, I hadn’t noticed the impact his career choice had on my life.
As time passed, I began to realize that my husband had chosen a career that he couldn’t just leave at the door when he came home. I started to realize how his heart came home at night. I was flooded with the memories of stories my husband recounted to me, which returned as vividly as the first time I heard them; I began to connect the dots. I also realized that I have the hope of Jesus in my life, and yet I sit here overwhelmed, visualizing my husband’s stories. What about those people that don’t have a place to find hope?
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