For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2Cor 5:21

It was during my draft-eligible age (nearly fifty-six years ago) that I was classified by the military as 4A. Simply put, 4A meant that I was exempt on all counts from the selection process. This was due to the passing of my father, who had lost his life while serving in the United States Navy during W.W. II. With his death, I became a sole-surviving son – the only one left to carry on our family name-and because of such, the government saw the need to shield me from any duty in Vietnam. In addition to my sole-surviving son status, I also was granted a sum of money ear-marked for a college education. While it may seem somewhat selfish, my outlook during that period was that my 4A classification was owed to me, I was entitled the free tuition, and in a very twisted way, I was legitimately grateful for my father’s sacrifice. The trade-offs for taking this stance were costly, however. My sense of trust was dismantled by the absence of a “father figure” and my non-participation in the draft cultivated a nagging share of regret.

Because I was only six years old when my dad passed away, my conclusions relative to his death were not only childish, they also seeded tainted attitudes which cropped up long into my adult life. In my little heart and mind, I had planted two horribly self-defeating weeds: 1) My biological father was responsible for deserting my mother, sister, and me, and 2) God (if there even were a God) had to be wretched and insensitive for taking my most essential influence in my father. To say that this package of broken trust, unforgiveness, and bitterness flourished in my life would be an understatement. The longing I had for the love of my earthly dad and for the peace that only God could bring remained locked in a suppressed place deep within me. As my stubborn self-will and hollow pride matured, I became more and more adept at concealing my true condition by never bothering to publicly share my father’s existence with anyone. In fact, it was not until my mid-thirties that I even visited his grave site. But the most unfortunate thing of all was my stubbornness to accept a much greater reality. I, the sole-surviving son, willfully chose to ignore God and trusted in only myself for more than half a century. I was a habit on legs, independent, and set on doing things my own way. Only the likes of an earthquake or a miracle could change that. Well, guess what? The miracle came while I was on vacation in the earthquake-prone state of California.

But before I give details of this occurrence, we first need to know that God doesn’t think like we do. We make plans, but His purpose is what is carried out. His ways are higher and greater than ours. So here I was, 3,000 miles away from my Massachusetts home, thinking I was visiting with my son. When I first arrived, I had begun to read a small version of the Amplified Bible that a friend had given me. Never a hungry reader, I was surprised by my appetite for what was on these pages. It was as if this Book were written just for me! Little did I know that this was part of God’s special appeal to meet with me. After a few days of delving into His Word and learning about the significance of His Son, Jesus, I decided to arise early one morning and drive to the beach. As only God can produce, I soon found myself in front of one of His more famous in-ground pools-the “peace maker”/Pacific Ocean. I stood at the shoreline gazing off to forever, when all of a sudden, the concept of God clicked. In that moment of awe, He showed me how immense He was. Immediately, my hapless and hopeless ways were brought into the light, which I later came to realize was captured so nicely in Proverb 13:12-”Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” In His presence, I knew I was meeting with hope Himself, the God of transforming love that never fails. I whispered to Him from my prayerful heart, “I give up… I’m all yours. Please, Lord, help me…” His response was my miracle.

My tide changed immediately as the peace of God flowed within me. A joy swept throughout my entire being like never in my life. My eyes were opened in a spiritual rebirth that literally compares to seeing the ocean for the first time. At that moment, two significant things happened and have continued to this day. 1) God began erecting His monument of trust in the core of my heart and 2) He began to weed out of my inner garden the twin growths of unforgiveness and bitterness. The anchor of hope for my soul had arrived. My harvest in life would never be the same.

From the instant I became a baby Christian, I have continued to read the Bible, listen to teaching lessons, and learn from more mature Christians than I. As magnificent as the Pacific Ocean was and the personal experience that accompanied it, I now know that there is so much more to discover and understand about the source of both. God is a wonder to behold. It is through the depth of my relationship walk with Him that the benefits of being regenerated become apparent. In Christ, I am forgiven of all my sins. I can fellowship with God any time I want. I am righteous because I am in Christ. I have access to revelation knowledge. I am born unto a new spiritual family complete with full rights and privileges. I am a part of a royal priesthood. And most significantly, I am an heir to a Heavenly Kingdom and guaranteed an eternal existence.

As I look back on my sole-surviving son days, they are completely washed in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, I was translated from being that sole-surviving, soul-condemned individual who had a despairing life and a destiny in the devil’s eternal hell to a new creation (2Cor 5:17), a recreated soul-serving son who is complete in the promise of abundant life on earth and the blessed hope of being loved in My Heavenly Father’s house forever.

Like I mentioned, my attitude about being a sole-surviving son and having never served in the military is actually something I have lived to regret. Yet, with God, all things are possible. And so it is in this case. I believe God has helped me in the military part of my life by drafting me to serve in His army. They say old soldiers never die; their memory lives on. It is in my new position as a spiritual soldier and soul-serving son that I have the opportunity to brandish the sword of His Word for His honor and glory. And the most amazing aspect of doing this is that not only will my memory live on, but I, too, will live forever!

If you would like to join me in the eternal army of Jesus Christ, recite the following prayer and you will be enlisted to serve too.

Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Thank you for sending Him to die for my sins, an incredible act of love performed just for me. I am sorry for sinning against You. I believe that you are a forgiving God, as Your Word says, and that You forgive me of all my sins. I believe You raised Jesus from the grave, overcoming death, which allows me to accept Him and receive eternal life through Him. Jesus, please come and reside in my heart and be my Lord and Savior. Amen.