Can Do

Today I drove Justin and his friend Robert out to the track so that they could both do a one mile ruck march. The two of them were in the same company prior to the deployment. The got moved to different companies to deploy, were both injured by 107 mm rockets, and both ended up at Walter Reed within a month of each other. Justin lost both legs below the knee, and Robert got a traumatic brain injury. Both men have come a long way on their roads to recovery over the past year. Justin has done several ruck marches over the past month and every time, his time gets better and better.

Their unit’s motto is “Can Do”. Not to sound cheesy, but it is fitting that Justin is with that unit because he definitely has had a “can do” attitude, especially over the past year. He’s been through so much and has faced so many challenges since he was injured, but I can’t remember a single time where he said that he couldn’t do something. Occasionally, it’ll be a “can’t yet”, but that “yet” means that he’s not ruling it out in the future. Some things, like running, will just take time and effort for him to be able to work up to being able to do. Giving up isn’t in his vocabulary, and it hasn’t been for as long as I’ve known him.

The “Can Do” phrase can be found as part of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I doubt a Scripture verse was the motivation in choosing this motto, but the underlying principle is the same to a point. The motto is just that you can do, but the Bible says that you can do through Christ. There are times when I feel overwhelmed and I cry out to God that I can’t do it on my own. The great thing is that even when I can’t, He can, and I can through Him. Sometimes God physically or mentally strengthens me, and other times he brings someone into the picture to help me in situations depending on what my need is at the time. I don’t have to go through trials on my own. Isaiah 40:29-31 says, “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” There are times when I feel weak, and I lean more heavily on God’s strength because my own has failed. The past year has been a rough road, but it hasn’t been hopeless. God has given Justin the physical, mental, and emotional strength to adjust to life with no legs. I haven’t had to deal with as much physical, but it’s definitely been a mental and emotional struggle for me, but God has been faithful and has kept me going when I was falling apart. Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Jesus saved me when I was a young child living in Florida, He was with me when I was scared and feeling alone in Germany, He comforted me in Georgia when I heard Justin tell me that he had been injured, and He hasn’t left me while we’ve been in Maryland. He has been with Justin in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many other places where he’s lived and trained. I’m so thankful he was with Justin on the mountain on June 9^th, and that He guided the hands of the medics, doctors, and nurses who kept Justin alive and helped him get to where he is today. I don’t know what direction life will take us when we leave Walter Reed (or when that will be), but God knows and He will be with us wherever and whenever that happens. He will give us strength so that we can do whatever comes next.