So I was walking through the Trigon the other day (it's the building with all the ROTC people. they're actual military, not A&M Corps. BIG difference), and I noticed this sign with an Army slogan on it: "I will always place the mission first." I had seen the sign before, but those words stuck out to me that particular time. I thought about what exactly that pledge implied. Always, as in, all the time. Whether you want to or not, whether you like it or not, whether it's easy or not. Always. I imagined a soldier, stuck out there, somewhere far from home. Maybe it's cold and wet, and he's only inches away from frostbite, but he's still crawling across the ground, away from the warmth of camp, towards a deadly enemy. He thinks about his family back home, where it's sunny, and bright, and he feels loved, and welcome, and safe. But he has to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, and keep crawling, farther from camp, farther from home. He must complete his mission. The last thing he wants to do is get any closer to the enemy, but it's part of the mission. He only wants to go running back into the arms of his family, and embrace them, and never leave. But he must complete his mission.

Isn't that kinda how we should be? Think about it. We were placed on this earth for a purpose, a mission, if you will. I don't know about you, but I'm anxious to get to Heaven. Sometimes I wish I could just leave this world and go straight there, and I'm sure many Christians feel the same way. But we must complete our mission. It's tough, yes, and it's not always fun. We have to go through some pretty tough training to prepare ourselves for it, and, many times, we have absolutely no idea why we're doing what we're doing, we just know that it needs to be done. Only after we finish our mission, can we go home. We shouldn't treat this world as our home, because it isn't. We are only here for a short time. This is just camp. Don't spend too much time making yourself comfortable here, because when you leave for home, you don't take your tent with you.

Now, I know this is a pretty loose analogy, but I think it's good for that one point. We're here for a while, and, even if God blesses you with a great life, it's nothing compared to what's in store for us. Just the thought of that should make you anxious to go home. But remember, we have a mission to complete here. And God will never send us through something we can't handle, with His help. We never leave His thoughts, His sight, or His hands. I hope this has encouraged you in some way.