In my job as a United States Infantryman there are a lot of stresses that we have and need to overcome. Most of these stresses result from combat, but a lot of them also come from family problems that we can not do anything about while we are deployed.

For example I just recently found out that my good buddy’s mom has breast cancer. No matter what your current state is, this news would be devastating to anyone. However, with this specific friend it is even worse. His mom lacks the funds and health care in order to help her with this disease. Furthermore, she is all he has in this world, and like many of us his mom is the one person who he is closest too. He is the youngest in my platoon and has no idea how to handle this stress which increases everyday.

Honestly, the only thing that I can do for him is pray. I have no idea what he must be feeling and honestly I can’t say anything to make him feel better. So all I told him was that I would pray for him and his mom. What can we do to have peace of mind when something deadly is so imminent? Prayer is the only answer.

Although not at the same caliber as my friend by any means, I too have had my share of stresses over here in this God-forsaken land and the only comfort I have for this is prayer. The only peace I gain is through prayer, and the only prayers I say are for peace.

In my opinion, the New Testament, especially the four Gospels, are teaching us to be peaceful. Do not almost all of Jesus’ parables and sermons deal with peace? In His time and in our time peace is something that is so hard to find. People get bogged down in worldly things because that is the one thing that the devil can always get at us for. Any excuse that we give the devil he will use to break us down spiritually. And that my friends is why we must continuously pray for peace of mind and body.