By Ronda Wells
While researching for my historical romance The Christmas Cherub, I discovered doctors in World War II used “battle fatigue” for what is now called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The latter may be the proper medical term, but I relate to the older term, especially fatigue.
Paul’s Battle Scars
The Apostle Paul uses martial imagery in his letters. He compared our God-given protections to a suit of armor.
We face many ordeals as Christians spreading the gospel to a world that often refuses to listen. Paul encouraged us in Galatians 6:9—”Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (NIV).
He knew what a genuine battle with Satan entailed, listing them in 2 Corinthians 11:
• Five times, 39 lashes from the Jewish leaders
• Three times beaten with rods
• Stoned once
• Shipwrecked three times
• Spent an entire night and day adrift at sea
His remarkable attitude is to put his head down and keep going. “I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers… then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:26-28 NLT).
As the Maker Intended
The apostle’s calamities put ours in perspective.
My biggest lifelong struggle has been ill health. In my late 20s, I developed severe plantar fasciitis. I whined about inheriting the mild bone deformities causing my foot issues. Examining my sore heel, Dr. R. looked up with the smile of a saint. “You are as the Maker intended.” Talk about an anvil-drop moment.
We are all created how God intended. While I’ve struggled, I’ve never been deliberately harmed, beaten, or had stones thrown at me. No one threatened to kill me.
In the Foxhole With Paul
The last part of Paul’s statement caught my attention.
“I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.”
What a perfect description of a soldier during war. One can imagine this fellow sitting in cold mud at the bottom of a foxhole, exposed to the elements without adequate supplies, listening to mortars fly overhead.
A Nation Can’t Afford to Lose
Per the most recent 2023 U.S. Department of Defense official report, military suicides have risen over the last few years.
Unfortunately, nearly 61% are younger than 30. Military suicide is associated with relationship difficulties and behavioral health disorders. Other factors included workplace and financial issues, plus a history of abuse before age 18.
Our nation can’t afford to lose these people. And despite fatigue, Christians need to keep fighting our battle with evil. In the end, we want to claim Jesus’s promise of eternal life.
The Crown That Awaits
As Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV).
Ronda Wells writes historical Christian romance and contemporary fiction. Her latest novel, The Christmas Cherub, explores faith, healing, and the power of God’s redemption.
