Sacrifice

The phone rang, but April did not want to answer it. They had been waiting for this call, and she knew the voice on the other end was calling to tell her that her son had been activated. There was little doubt the call would be coming. It seemed like the military was pulling every reserve unit out of Florida. She had watched as many of his friends had been activated and deployed to the war zone. Now it was his turn, and she could hardly bare the thought of losing him.

The phone rang a second time.

She answered, “Hello.”

“Hello Mam, this is Sergeant Patrick. Is Specialist Arnold there?”

A lump formed in her throat and she fought back a tear as she replied, “He is not here right now. He will be home in a few hours. Is there a message you would like for me to give him?”

“Yes Mam, tell him the unit has been activated. We need him to report to the Reserve Center right away.”

“Thank you, I will let him know as soon as he comes in.”

She hung up the phone and broke out in a sob. She knew this day would come, but it did not make it any easier. She could not help but to consider the thought that she might lose her baby boy. He was only 19 and her youngest son. The thought of losing him was more than she could handle. She curled up on the floor and cried.

After a short time, she began to pull herself together. It would not do him any good to see her crying this way. He was going to be concerned enough and she needed to be strong for him, so she picked herself up, said a quick prayer, and began to prepare dinner. He would be home soon, and this might be his last home-cooked meal for awhile.

About an hour later, he walked through the door.

“Mom, I’m home!”

She decided she would tell him over dinner. They had been expecting the call, and he was already packed and ready. He would have time for dinner before he left to catch up to his unit.

“I’m in the kitchen and dinner is almost ready.”

He went to his room to get changed out of his work clothes and then got cleaned up and joined his mom for dinner. Over dinner he could tell something was bothering her.

“Mom, is something wrong?”

This was the moment. She sat there for a minute not saying anything at all. She was afraid to talk, afraid she would start sobbing again.

She fought back the urge to cry as she told him about the call. They talked about what it meant. There was no emotion from him, but you could hear a touch of excitement in his voice. He was prepared. It was a talk they had gone over many times already. They knew what had to be done, and they each knew their part. After dinner she would call his boss to tell him that Jake had been activated and would not be at work in the morning. Then she would start calling friends and family while Jake would tend to his personal affairs before loading the truck with his gear.

Jake could tell his mom was upset. He knew she was worried about what would happen, but he was methodically reviewing what needed to be done. There was no time to think about what could happen. He had been preparing for this moment for over a year. To him this was another mission, and he went through the plans with precision as they finished dinner.

After dinner, he went to his room. Jake knelt beside his bed with his Bible in his hands as he prayed,

“Lord, thank You for this opportunity to serve You and glorify You. You are an amazing God. You have granted us grace and mercy in spite of ourselves. You have made a way for each of us to know You and be in a right relationship with You. Thank You for Your Son and His sacrifice. Thank You for Your forgiveness and being a part of my life. Without You I am lost.

I pray that You would be with my mom, that You would watch over her and grant her Your peace. This will be a difficult time for her, and she will need You more now than ever.  I pray You would use this time to draw her closer to You.

In Jesus name, Amen.”

Jake gathered his things and packed his truck for the short trip to the Reserve Unit. After everything was loaded Jake and his mom said goodbye. There was something about that moment. They both seemed to sense this would be their last moment together. She cried as he told her goodbye and got in the truck to leave.

It was a short drive to the unit, and once he arrived he could see the unit was a buzz of activity. Soldiers were all over the place as they prepared their equipment to leave. Jake hurried to report in so he could begin to do his part.

Just as they had expected, Jake was being deployed to Iraq. His unit would travel to Ft. Stewart, Georgia. There they would get additional training, update their shot records, and prepare their equipment to be deployed to Iraq. All in all it would be a little over three weeks before they shipped out.

Jake arrived in Iraq in June. The heat seemed unbearable, and all the equipment they had to carry did not help. It seemed they would never get a break from the heat. Each day got hotter and hotter, while the patrols seemed to get longer and longer.

The work was pretty simple for the most part. His unit was responsible for convoy security. They would travel up and down the supply routes clearing threats to ensure the safety of other soldiers. It was a job he enjoyed. One that provided him plenty of reason and opportunity to pray and seek God. It also provided plenty of opportunity to witness to his friends and others.

While in Iraq, Jake prayed for his mother. He was concerned about his mom’s relationship with God and wanted nothing more than for his mom to know Christ. He wanted her to experience God the way he had been able to over the last several years, but she seemed disinterested, so he prayed. Jake prayed that God would use this as an opportunity to draw his mom closer to God. He prayed that God would use him for His purpose.

After about four months in Iraq, it happened. He was driving a HMMWV (hummer) on Main Supply Route (MSR) Tango near Baghdad when a roadside bomb went off. Jake’s HMMWV was only a few feet away from the blast. The blast sent a piece of shrapnel into the base of his brain. He was killed instantly.

April was at home watching TV when there was a knock on the door. She had no idea who would be knocking on her door this time of night, but she rushed to find out. As she opened the door she noticed a man in uniform. Instantly she felt a knot in her stomach. Oh no, she thought, not Jake!

“April Arnold,” the man asked?

“Yes,” she said, fighting the urge to cry.

“Mam, On behalf of the President of the United States, the U.S. Army, and a grateful nation it is my unfortunate duty to inform you that your son Specialist Jake Arnold has been killed in combat. Please accept my condolences for your loss.”

She could not hold back any longer. April began to cry. She cried uncontrollably for several hours. She can not remember much after the man said, “accept my condolences for your loss.” At some point he took a moment to pray for her, and offer any assistance the Army could provide. They seemed like empty words.

Over the next several days it did not take much for her to begin crying. She felt as though her heart had been ripped from her chest. Every time she turned around, she was reminded of Jake. She would stop and stare at the pictures on the wall. Especially the picture of Jake and his two brothers. They were just little boys that summer, but she could not help but to slip back in time to those beautiful memories. Memories were all she had now that Jake was gone, and the last memory would be one a mother never wanted to have. It would be memory of burying her son.

They had a funeral for Jake shortly after his body and personal affects arrived from overseas. He was buried with full military honors and April placed the flag they gave her on the fireplace mantel at home. It was a constant reminder of the loss she felt, and the son she loved. She was very proud of him, but missed him more than anything.

After several weeks, April began going through Jakes personal affects. She spent some time crying and some time laughing as she went through Jake’s things. When she found Jake’s Bible, April become angry. She cried out to God. Wanting to know why her son had to die, why he had to go to a country full of ungrateful people. People that wanted to kill him. As she cried out to God, she felt prompted to open Jake’s bible and to read where Jake had been reading. She opened the bible and began to read.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

April sobbed openly as she sat down the Bible. For the first time in her life she understood Jesus’ sacrifice. She understood that God sent His son into a foreign land full of ungrateful people that wanted to kill Him. She understood how God felt to see His son die on the Cross. She understood in that moment that Jesus died for her sins and she cried out to God.

She understood the sacrifice He made, and she surrendered everything to Jesus.