Robby

This will be a very difficult devotional to write. It is about reality and Truth, both of which are many times incomprehensible for us. I received word from my youngest sister and her husband that their only son had been killed in Iraq on July 6. Our family is quite closely linked to the military. Because of that link, we are aware of the sacrifices our sons and daughters make for love of country and for her citizens. Robby's death hit us all very hard, even then. It was, as we can only imagine, a crushing blow to my sister and her family.

In many ways, Robby was a hero. He took the brunt of a mortar in a surprise attack on an outpost. He was killed immediately along with two other soldiers. His body returned to the States, he was wrapped in a shroud... his uniform folded over his chest. However, eleven survived the attack. On the news that night, no names were given, we listened and were saddened as we learned that some more soldiers were killed in Iraq that day... just the grim evidence of war.

I will be meeting my youngest son Sunday, traveling to meet another son, and my siblings to support my sister's family. My oldest son, who is a First Sargeant in the 1st Infantry Division stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas, and has been deployed four times, won't be there. He will be deploying to Afghanistan soon. If God is willing, he will retire from the service when he returns. He knows more than any of us just what death means since he has faced it so many times.

The interment is in Arlington on Wednesday, with full military honors. Robby was only 29 when he gave his life for our country....and yet has joined the ranks of many heroes who have gone on before and many others who will yet sacrifice their lives.

I did not know Robby very well. He was a very normal child... normal bumps along the road. Yet he sacrificed his life to save others. His death is a reminder to us all of reality. The reality that death comes to all, no matter what rank or station in life, rich or poor, glad or sad, young or old. God is the Giver and the Taker of life. Life is a wonderful gift. The older I get the more I begin to realize the mystery and the miracle of life, not only in the physical realm, but in the spiritual as well. Just the ability to talk to the Creator God and appreciate in our finite way how wonderful and transcendent He is both very humbling and thankful. This is reality.

The Truth is very simple. God is the Giver and Taker of life. Because we in Adam all chose death, the Giver of life has provided salvation through the sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile us to God, who cannot look upon sin. He paid for our sin, dying on the Cross more than 2000 years ago. His sacrifice still saves today. His Love still flows.

I do not know if Robby ever heard the message of salvation. I hope he did, but as you read this, you have heard it. Do you believe it? Is God's Word Truth to you in the reality of this life?

Ellen Foxx