God of Comfort in Deployment

Stay busy!

Over and over, that’s the advice you’ll hear from people on how to get through a deployment or training separation. Parents sign their kids and themselves up for every activity they can find, striving to outrun their emotions.

But if we stop and think about it for a moment, staying busy has end results just as harmful as any other self-medication. Indulgent eating leaves you overweight. Drinking to numb the pain leads to serious health issues. Impulsive shopping brings debt. Staying busy eventually catches up to your family with overly tired and frustrated kids spewing emotions like an erupting volcano. You may find yourself stressed out, even to the point of a nervous breakdown.

Instead, God quietly beckons you to come, rest, and release. You can quit running and face those chasing demons of grief and worry. To find true comfort for you and your child, you must stop, turn to the Lord, and lean in. Accept the comfort of God’s words in the Bible, his peace as the Holy Spirit surrounds you, his quiet whisper when you pray, and his help given through friends, counselors, and sometimes in necessary medications.

Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (CEV)

Children, too, need the time and space to grieve. They must acknowledge the hard emotions fully and then move toward experiencing peace and hope, which ultimately come from God. We need to help them find a way between the extremes of denying their true feelings and wallowing in desolation for too long. We need to teach them to look to their Heavenly Daddy for comfort.

Goals and activities are great during deployments as long as you aren’t stressing yourself out. The best goal to have is to lean on the Lord during this difficult time. It will be an amazing accomplishment to say, “I didn’t just survive. I grew closer to God.”

PRAY

Thank you, Father God, for the comfort only you can give. Help me rest, feel your presence, and bring my heart to you. And please help me teach my children to get their comfort from you, too. Amen.

TIME TO TALK

Conversation starter for kids: Provides you with questions and prompts to facilitate a time of applicable discussion with children to lead them towards knowing God and His Word more deeply.

Question(s): What do you wish we did differently during deployments?

Apply: For most people, the beauty and wonder of nature help us connect with the Creator. Take the time to enjoy it as a family. Watch a sunset or stare at the stars. Sit in a garden or in front of a gallery painting. Encourage each other to see God there with you. Sure, little ones will be squirrely and excited, but look for that moment where they connect their joy with God’s good gifts.

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help parents expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Psalm 43:5

John 14:27