Today’s guest blogger is Andrea Plotner.
If you could go back 5, 10, 15 or 20 years and give yourself advice, what would it be?
Hi, my name is Andrea and I’m part of the Planting Roots team—a new ministry emphasizing Christ’s strength in order to thrive in military life—and we’re excited to announce the launch of our weekly Bible study series geared toward the service woman, whether active duty or dependent.
As a recently retired military spouse of 20 years, my counsel to myself would be to obey Philippians 4:4-7. Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” and that’s what comes to mind when I think of these Bible verses, so well known that they become almost invisible and often overlooked. Let’s read them with fresh eyes by doing a little exercise.
First, think of the most pressing or weighty issue in your life at the moment. Now read the verse below, listing the instructions. Then give yourself a score between 1 and 10 (10 being best) on how well you are applying these instructions to your life on a moment-by-moment basis. What might be the result if you did? What promise is given to those who do?
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)
Planting Roots’ new online Bible study series is called ROOTED, however it seems that before I can be deeply rooted in Christ there are some unwanted roots—spiritual weeds—I need to remove in the form of common complaints.
The root of complaining ultimately comes down to unbelief—a lack of trust in God and subsequent disobedience in the form of grumbling. Besides that, I’ve found that complaining (even when it doesn’t come out of my mouth) bears bad fruit in my heart and life in the forms of anxiety, stress and worry.
Some common complaints in military life:
- Location
- Loneliness and “alone-ness”
- Deployments and redeployments
- Stuff broken during moves
These pressures are very real, and acknowledging them can be a helpful part of the transition and healing process. But dwelling on them just builds up bitterness in my heart and reduces my ability to cope and adapt.
So, if I were going to go back 20 years and counsel myself as a military spouse, I would advise saying “no” to a culture of complaint and “yes” to an ongoing prayer conversation with God—in my head and in my journal.
I would continually remember to thank Him for new adventures, new mercies, reminders in His Word to speak gently to my family and asking for His help to show me how to settle into this new community, this new routine and into the boring or hard aspects of everyday life.
These are the kinds of things we’re talking about over at Planting Roots—at our conferences, in our blogs, and as part of an online Bible study community. We hope you’ll join us and, by the way, we are thankful for this partnership with the readers and leaders at Guideposts!
Andrea Plotner is a former Army spouse, mom of three hungry boys, and Bible Study Coordinator at www.plantingroots.net/bible-studies.
