Jane Cook - Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

“Dad, I’m over here!” I shouted for the third time to the elderly man descending from the plane. After living in Taiwan for two years, my father returned to the United States in December 2006. I barely recognized him. He walked with a slow gait. His stilted movements revealed his lost strength. His facial expressions were very limited. I knew that something was very, very wrong.

As he came toward me, I fought back tears. The Chinese virtue of filial piety has been passed on to me, and I knew I would one day care for my parents, but I never dreamed it would come this quickly.

Later that evening, my suspicions were confirmed. He was very weak and it was not just from the plane ride. Suddenly, the roles were reversed. I became the parent, helping him to undress, bathe, brush his teeth, and get into bed.

The floodgate of tears opened as Dennis and I talked about the situation. My parents were now divorced. My mother was balancing work and college courses and barely had time for herself. The rest of our extended family was out of town. We had three young children under the age of four, including a month-old baby. Plus, we had recently received a mobilization notification. Again, the possibility of deployment, especially in the throes of the Iraq war, took my breath away.

Dennis and I immediately agreed my father would stay with us. Within a few weeks, the situation proved to be even more challenging. After a crash course in Medicare, secondary health insurance, and prescription drug coverage, along with a humongous number of visits to doctors, specialists, and labs. We heard the dreadful diagnosis Prostate Cancer. Not just cancer now, but my father also had Parkinson’s Disease.

Then, it happened. After several brushes with deployment, Dennis was mobilized in March 2007. A patriotic man, Dennis was eager to do his duty for our country, but I was not eager to see him go. The timing couldn’t have been worse, so it seemed.

I didn’t know how I was going to care for three children and my ailing father alone. After wrestling in my heart, I realized the best way to face the days ahead was to take them one day at a time, and most importantly, one prayer at time. Sometimes when it seems all we can do is pray, that is the best thing to do.

Thank you for family and for the opportunity to care for them no matter the circumstance.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

When Dennis left for his tour of duty to an undisclosed location in March 2007 (I didn’t know where he was going), there was no choice for me but to jump in with both feet to care for my three children and father. Every incident, from the normal to the emergency, was ripe with opportunities to pray for strength.

Days were filled with driving my dad to medical appointments while also paying attention to my children’s needs. Sometimes the only moments I had to myself were in the car. Once the kids were strapped in and watching a movie, I would pray. Other times, it wasn’t until very late in the evening when I got on my knees to pray. The emergencies happened, too. We visited the ER three times. God gave me strength to make it through those stitches and close calls, including Josh’s febrile seizure.

God’s strength also came from the friends we made early in our marriage through our church. When word got around of Dennis’s mobilization, our community of Christian friends mobilized as well. They sustained us by preparing meals, sending us gift cards, and watching our children so I could take my father to the doctor.

God also showed me why he brought my father into my home during this inopportune time. Although ailing, my father was a source of strength by becoming a wonderful companion to my children. He entertained them, and they entertained him. My heart was also burdened for him spiritually. I discovered I didn’t have to debate him, but could best witness by quietly living out my faith. I continued hosting a ladies Bible study in my home. My children said grace at dinner. My father constantly asked me about the generous women who regularly delivered meals. He was amazed at their support and love.

Of course, I screamed, “Yahoooo!” when Dennis came home in October 2007. No one welcomes the refining fire of difficult circumstances that God had prepared for me. I had so much less responsibility no children when Dennis could have gone to Kosovo. Yet, God chose 2007 and not 1999. He had planted seeds of faith and friendship that grew over ten years to prepare me for Dennis’s deployment. They ripened at the right time, giving me strength while my husband served our country. God’s mobilization of sustaining grace was just what I needed during Dennis’s mobilization.

Father thank you for planting seeds in my life and ripening them at just the right time when I need them most.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)

President George W. Bush is an avid athlete. He exercises daily and for many years, that meant a run, a good long jog. Then he took up cycling. He’s so fast; he outpaces the secret service agents riding with him.

As much as the drive to exercise motivates him personally, something greater also drives him. While maintaining high respect for other religions, Bush has not hidden his faith. In extensive interviews with Brett Baier for the Fox News Channel in January 2008, President Bush revealed his core belief about stewardship.

“I believe that to whom much is given much is required, and we’ve been given a lot,” President George W. Bush explained.

This idea comes from Luke 12:48: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” It’s a verse that guards against selfishness and complacency.

“It’s in our moral interest to help others. The enemy, those who kill the innocent to advance their political agenda, cannot recruit based upon their ideology. They can only recruit where there’s hopelessness,” Bush continued.

Bush believes that a key component in fighting terror is the need to combat poverty and diseases, such as AIDS, which affected 33 million globally. If a large portion of a nation’s work force is ill, then the economy can’t grow. Impoverished people are more apt to turn to an ideology of terror than those who have hope.

“Disease and hunger cause people to be hopeless. That’s why our foreign policy is to help others live healthy lives. To help others live in a free society. It’s the ultimate solution to protecting America,” Bush explained.

Six months later, in July 2008, President Bush signed legislation that tripled the United States funding to fight AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis around the world, particularly in Africa. Bush described the five-year, $48 billion program as “the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history.”

For a president of the United States, “much is given” means a responsibility of stewardship and decision-making in leading a nation. But “much is given” doesn’t have to be measured on a continental scale. Much is given can mean many things. For a physician, “much is given” is about dispensing knowledge and prescriptions with mercy. For a mom, “much is given” is observing her children’s needs and responding with an abundance of love.