A foundational part of the military mindset is victory. I fell right in step with this goal when our son enlisted. For me, victory meant winning—and winning was conquering.
I never thought there was any other definition.
I was wrong.
With this kind of thinking, I began to struggle early on as I tackled the challenges that came along with military life. I entered the fight fully expecting to conquer fear, defeat worry and vanquish loneliness.
I knew that with my victory over these and other obstacles, I would find peace.
There was only one problem with this strategy. I couldn’t seem to find any kind of lasting victory. I might triumph over fear one day, only to spend the night aching to have my son close. The next day I won over loneliness but struggled to keep my mind from worry.
I was caught up in a never-ending whirlwind of defeat.
Or so I thought.
Then a friend who also had a loved one in the military readjusted my perspective. She told me that victory meant one thing and one thing only—not giving up.
It had nothing to do with permanently kicking my struggles to the curb. It was as simple, and as difficult, as perseverance. She told me that every day I continued on, I was living in victory. It might not look pretty, but staying in the fight meant winning.
So no matter what enemy you’re facing today, count it a victory when you persevere.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
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