Happy Mother's Day

Saw a show about the Army Rangers the other day. It was showing a Ranger competition called The Best of the Best. Two Rangers form a team that competes against other Ranger teams. They run obstacle course, swim, run, climb, shoot and conduct urban warfare exercises.

In one of the obstacle courses we saw a Ranger fall off of a "wall" of telephone poles that he was climbing over. He fell nearly thirty feet and landed pretty much, flat on his face. He broke his nose. Blood ran down his face... he just stood there a minute, spitting blood out of his mouth, catching his breath... he denied medical attention and went on to finish the obstacle course. Oliver North was the narrator and as we watched this Ranger spitting out his blood North says,"Most people don't get up after a thirty foot fall but this man is a Ranger. Ranger's aren't like other people." At that the Divine Mrs. L says, "That's Ethan. He's not like other people." She went on to say she hopes Ethan never becomes a Ranger. She says this because she's his mother and mothers can feel pain that their children haven't yet experienced. She felt Ethan's pain when that guy fell off the obstacle.

Here's my prayer for each of my young sons. God, let this man find his place. Let him go where his skills and his unique, God given abilities will serve him and his God best of all.

Here's my prayer for my wife. God, give her strength as her little boys become the men that you've planned for them to be. Give her comfort as she hurts for them. God, please spare her the experience of having to see her sons in pain. Give her (and me) the strength to let them go where you want them.