April 6, 2009
Blackhawk Down. The story of American military involvement in Somalia and a particularly gruesome battle in Mogadishu following a botched raid and the downing of two Blackhawk helicopters. A small group of elite soldiers are pinned down by an overwhelming number of Somali militia. Men are dead. Men are wounded. Those still alive are trapped in a couple locations trying to survive the night, hoping for reinforcements to arrive and rescue them at first light.
A good number of them are huddled together in a location surrounded by the enemy, trying to keep the enemy at bay. They are tired. They are wounded. They are discouraged. They are afraid. Their friends are dead. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They were better trained than their enemy. Better equipped. It was supposed to straightforward – in and out with minimal issues. This was not the plan.
One wounded soldier begins to give into the pressure to give up hope, to cave into fear and despair. He puts his weapon down. His commander sees this happening and reminds him of his duty to fight for the bigger mission, for his brothers, for himself. He’s not the only one exhausted, afraid and wounded. The commander picks up his weapon, pushes it into his hands and asks him this question:
“Are you still in the fight?”
He slowly takes hold of his weapon and responds, “Still in the fight sir.”
Are you still in the fight? Or, have you given in to hopelessness, fear and despair? Have you put your weapon down? Are you wounded and giving up? We are all battling similar enemies – fatigue, despair, dread, hopelessness, self pity, apathy, diminishment, passivity, resignation, etc. We are all wounded to various degrees and in need of healing.
Pick up your weapon. Wield your will well. Walk in the light with your brothers. Resist the enemy. Meditate on the truth. Commune with Jesus. He is with us. He is for us. Help is on the way. Sometimes though, it’s just hard and we need to resolve to stay in the fight.
Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Still in the fight sir.
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.”
Strength and courage,
David