The Greatest WarriorSample

Loved by God

Dan Nigolian

Chaplain, Lt. Colonel, USAF, Retired

The enemy couldn’t kill me and I resented it. They shot me out of the sky and I survived. Bullets riddled the ground all around me but never found their mark. 

When it came time to retire, my records were reviewed and I was asked if I’d ever been tested for PTSD. I was bulletproof and had a big, red “S” on my chest. I was a preacher. I counseled guys with PTSD. Of course, I didn’t have it!

Scoring 100 means you have the worst PTSD possible. I got 99.

I have concluded that it takes more courage to face what’s inside of you than to face the enemy. As I continue to fight this, I’m learning to appreciate the present. Right here and right now, I am loved by God and by my family. God doesn’t care about my rank or my theological degrees or anything like that. Despite knowing me deeply, He loves me – to my surprise and relief. 

It was being exposed to death brought on by war that led to my own personal battle. But there’s one Person who has defeated death and that’s Jesus. So He can defeat the effects of death in me. And that’s my hope and my rest.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for saving me through the work of Your Son. You are my hope and my rest.