God Can Sneak Up On YouALBERT FRENCH served with the 7th Marines in Vietnam and afterward became a critically acclaimed writer and photojournalist. In his own eloquent style, he reflected on his ...
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God Can Sneak Up on You ALBERT FRENCH served with the 7th Marines in Vietnam and afterward became a critically acclaimed writer and photojournalist. In his own eloquent style, he reflected on his thoughts while in combat and questioned the presence of God in war: God can sneak up on you anytime, then leave quickly. Most of the time, he comes at night when you’re alone in your hole. He can just be there, you can look his way, talk, whisper to him. You can ask him why, why, why. Sometimes you won’t talk to him. You don’t want him close to you, messin’ with your head. Things ain’t never fair. Everything is upside down, everybody can get killed. Maybe God ain’t here, maybe you’re just talkin’ to yourself, thinkin’ he’s here. Despite his doubts and unanswered questions, French confessed an ill-defined faith that God was there during his worst moment and even seemed to have a purpose for his life: I remember one night, perhaps I had gone too far. Maybe God didn’t want me to go no further, wanted me to live, tell about it, write about what he had to watch us do. I know now he cried, it was never raindrops fallin’. No, there ain’t that much rain to ever fall. I was standing in the dark, looking across the rice paddy. We were pulling back, and I was asking this guy if anyone was left back there. This guy turned and looked back too, then turned to me and muttered, “Only the dead.” I turned, pulled back, came back. But I brought the time with me and turned it into words that will hopefully live forever. The doubts expressed so thoughtfully by this soldier ring true, and his story reassures us in our moments of perceived isolation God is still there. God honors our honest doubts, and rewards us with answers in his time. When we have our doubts, we should raise them in a direct and heartfelt way—and expect God to answer. He would rather deal with a passionate challenge than unspoken doubts and withdrawal. | |
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