The following is an excerpt from Sara’s new book, GOD Strong: A Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide.

One of the hardest parts of the military life is the deployment. Being separated from your spouse can be emotionally grueling, depressingly solitary, and overwhelming. If you let it be that way.

During our first deployment, I was determined that it would not be that way. I approached this new experience in our lives with the fervor and determination of the defenders of the Alamo; whatever happened, I would not let our family down. I had a plan. I would be the Great Communicator, keeping my husband and son and the rest of our family and friends closely connected.

I would be the Great Organizer, juggling all of my son’s activities, my work responsibilities, church functions, and aforementioned family communications with the ease and skill of one who knows no scheduling conflict.

I would be the Great Cheerleader, offering an unending supply of encouragement to my husband in Iraq and to our son here at home. And to do all of this, I would have to be the Great Health nut. Yes, that was my plan. I would eat right, exercise every day, and stay fit and healthy, stress free and positively motivated throughout the deployment. I would be physically, mentally, and emotionally strong. Those incredible endorphins would keep me going!

To help in this quest for uberstrength (or what I ultimately learned is Me Strength), I brought along my iPod to the gym, loaded with the music I thought I needed to “get in the zone.” There were songs on there I had never listened to before but had bought specifically for the deployment – titles like “Fighter” and “Push It’ and “Let’s Get It Started.” I chose songs that encouraged me to push myself, to make my life happen how I wanted it to happen, to be sexy (after all, I wanted to look good when my husband came home), to be a rock star or at least live the confident rock star life. The other songs I owned – songs praising God, songs that reminded me of his goodness, his grace, and his control – were left off my playlist because I’d decided they weren’t intense enough. Not motivating enough. I needed fast and loud. I needed tough and strong.

What I didn’t realize until months later, when I was so spent and worn out and sitting on my couch in the dark, was that I had overlooked God’s strength. I had fooled myself into thinking that because I was Me Strong, I didn’t have to be God Strong. God was there, but at a distance safe enough to keep me from being reminded just how weak I am.

For many, 2009 has been a hard year financially. Whether you’re active military or Guard/Reserve, with a steady paycheck or not, things cost more today than they did a year ago, and everyone has felt the pinch and the importance of cutting back.

Before Christmas, I struggled over the gift buying we were doing and found myself getting sucked into the “More, More” attitude, especially for our little boy. But then I ran across this verse, Hebrews 13:5 –

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

My managing editor, Jessica, posted this article on AGreaterFreedom.com and I thought I’d share…

It Took a War to Bless a Child
Spc. Jodi Krause

BAGHDAD, Iraq – “I guess the old Persian adage; ‘I wept because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.’ is an appropriate summary of this humanitarian effort,” said 1st Lt. Paul Woodward, 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion chaplain of Enid, Okla.

CH Woodward, together with Capt. Emmanuel Woods, 5th Engineering Battalion chaplain, delivered much needed school supplies, toys, and two pair of shoes to two grade schools in northern Iraq on Nov. 3.

“The term ‘wealthy’ has new meaning for me,” CH Woodward said. “It is so easy to forget how wealthy we really are until you meet someone who needs what you would throw away.”

The chaplains took school supplies provided by Natalbany Baptist Church of Natalbany, La. With all the donated things for the kids, there was one pair of boys’ sandals and one pair of girls’ tennis shoes.

The one child who touched the group the most was a girl about nine years old; the recipient of the one pair of donated girls’ shoes.

“It was obvious that the shoes she was wearing, some old, blue, closed-toed sandals, were about four sizes too big for her,” CH Woodward said.

She tried on the shoes, and they were a perfect fit.

“We were informed by the principle, afterwards, that this girl would have to borrow her mother’s shoes to go to school, and then have to give them back when she returned home,” CH Woodward said. “She has never had a pair of shoes of her own before.”

For this little girl, these shoes were truly a blessing.

“I don’t know her name; the school she attends doesn’t even have an address,” CH Woodward said. “It seems like it took this war to basically illustrate to one nine year old little girl that freedom can bring real blessings. “

Can you imagine not having your own pair of shoes to wear? We take so much for granted. I know I’m guilty of countless times of going into my closet, looking at the full racks of clothes and many pairs of shoes and saying, “I don’t have anything to wear!”

This Christmas, instead of embracing gifts, let’s embrace gratitude. Let’s be happy for what does matter; not the new toys or new presents under our trees, but the family we have next to each other and the roofs over our heads. And the shoes we wear on our feet.

Just a little Monday motivator… have a great start to your week!

And here is the rest of it.