One more thing

Yesterday, when I received the assignment to do a Q/A segment for our campus newscast this week, I was starting to feel overloaded. Between editing stories, writing my own, and the list of homework for other classes, thinking about it all at once made it seem like a lot.

Today, I thought about filming the segment, what I was going to say for the 15 seconds I'd be on camera, what I'd wear, how I was going to get to my classes on time, who had responded to my e-mail that asked if they would be willing to talk, and having a camera operator.

You know something? It all worked out.

Even better, I took pride in this segment. This was a special edition of our Timeline Talk street-beat-esque clip. We are asking veterans, who are faculty and staff at the university, what Veterans Day means to them.

The more I thought about it, even amidst my task-oriented thoughts last night, the more I realized that this meant a lot to me. I mean, my middle name is America for crying out loud.

Seriously. It is.

But that pride involved with serving, the courage to do something I can never picture myself doing, the endurance to stand up against the rest of the world - that all is appalling to me. So when I contacted the list of veterans on our campus, I was interested to see what their reactions would be to this question.

One said, "It's really all about pride." Another shared his gratefulness for the opportunity to serve. These were the only responses I had until I sent out an e-mail to a few more faculty members who I found out were veterans.

One of them came down to my professor's office, asking what it was about. At first he, the veteran, seemed taken aback, but when he realized what the purpose of the video really was, he started to tear up. My professor shared this with me and when she did I myself realized what an impact this could have. He had apparently served in Vietnam in combat and said he would come by tomorrow to film but needed some time to gather his thoughts. My professor asked if he was all right - he said he had lost a lot of friends.

My grandfather, who served in the Navy, was my age when World War II came to a close. It's so ridiculous for me to think about. I have it so easy. My biggest battles are over silly things like taking down the things on my to-do list. At first, this assignment was just one more thing I had to do. Now it's one thing more to be grateful about.

I love it when God shows me things like this. It helps me see the bigger picture. I may never be a veteran or see combat firsthand, but God has equipped those who have with the strength and courage to fight these battles. In the same way, God has also given us the tools we need to fight our struggles:

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." - Ephesians 6:11-13

"...the full armor of God." Not just part of it. All of it. With these things, we can be victorious in the God we serve.

Films I like that I have actually seen that involve American wars and/or armed forces (if there's a good one that isn't on here, it's probably because I haven't seen it - like my opinion matters anyway):

1. The Majestic (2001)
2. Pearl Harbor (2001)
3. The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
4. Men of Honor (2000)
5. The Guardian (2006)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. White Christmas (1954)
8. Forrest Gump (1994)
9. Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
10. Dear John (2010)

P.S. Veterans Day is tomorrow. Thank a veteran and pray for them. Pray I will remember to do this, too.