My Key Said “Soldier”

Before leaving for the World Race I was given two “giving keys”. One was given to me by the World Race. It says “Journey”. The other was given to me a month before we left at my best friend David’s wedding. The key he gave me said “Soldier”.

The Christian concept behind giving keys is simple. Someone gives you a key with a word on it. You wear the key on a necklace and pray, asking God what He wants to teach you with the word. Whenever you feel like you have figured out what the word means for you, you give it away to someone.

Dave wore the “Soldier” key for a while. While he wore it, the Lord transformed his faith. He experienced new depths of God’s care for him, new identity in what weapons (gifts) he carries, and a fresh picture of how soldiers live and die by community.

At first, I didn’t think I needed to spend much time praying into what God was trying to teach me with “Soldier”. The meaning seemed obvious to me:

“Go RJ! Be a SOLDIER for the Lord. Share the gospel with the nations!”

I thought I’d wear it around the world, and then maybe I was supposed to give it to someone at home for the Lord to use to inspire them. Then the Race got real. Some days were hard, homesickness set in, and tiredness and lonliness came knocking at my door. Every day the word “soldier” hung around my neck, but I felt far from deserving of it. Song lyrics like, “Spirit lead me where my trust is WITHOUT BORDERS”, that we sang before we left lost their potency. The “Rah Rah I’m in God’s army” pump-up mantra wore off.

All of a sudden the meaning of my key just didn’t feel real to me.

Instead of assuming I knew what it meant, I decided to do what Dave asked me to do in the first place and pray. After Kayla dislocated her shoulder in Bulgaria and we “by chance” happened to be the best location in Bulgaria for her to have it put back in place within 2 hours, I became confident I knew what God was teaching me as a “soldier”.

Being a soldier in God’s Kingdom is about giving up our perceived control. It’s gentle and content. It’s about abiding. It’s about obedience. It’s about putting temporary emotions aside, hearing God’s voice, and trusting in the goodness of His will.

So what did the Lord teach me with my “soldier” key? Three things.

• Soldiers must have FAITH that the commander can always see the bigger picture and wants to win.

• I must BELIEVE that God knows exactly what resources he has available, where he is moving them, and the strategy behind it all. He hasn’t forgotten me. Nothing is wasted in bringing faith, hope, and love to others.

• ⁸ “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” ¹⁰ Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. – Matthew 8:8-10

• ⁴ Lord, direct me throughout my journey so I can experience your plans for my life. Reveal the life-paths that are pleasing to you. – Psalm 25:4

• It’s to the ultimate benefit of a soldier to obey the commander’s orders.

• When I fail, it’s because I’m trying to go out and do things on my own. I go off thinking that I am in some sort of “control”. God has a plan and when we choose to abide in it, that’s where the fullness of life is. Abiding is my only order.

• ¹⁷ See how happy is the person whom God corrects; so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. – Job 5:17

• ⁸ I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel. – Psalm 32:8

• No matter the battle in life, victory is ours in God’s kingdom.

• There’s no battle we can’t handle, no weapon we can’t go up against, and no choice we can’t make, because the war has already been won! Jesus bankrupted hell, and Holy Spirit lives inside of us. We have EVERYTHING we need for what is in front of us, right now. God is holding nothing back.

• ¹⁵ …This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. – 2 Chronicles 20:15

• ³⁵ You have given me the shield of your salvation; your right hand upholds me, and your humility exalts me. – Psalm 18:35 

Then we arrived in Ethiopia. Immediately, there were lots of crazy God moments that led us to Selamta Family Project. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by the Assistant Director, Habtie. Habtie was born in Ethiopia, and has been very successful in his life. He has multiple degrees from universities in Sweden, experience in international development, and a contagious laugh. He essentially became our host for the month. We did everything together. We played with the kids, taught music, ate meals, went shopping, attended bible study group – everything. We even ended up going on an adventure day to Wenchi Crater Lake together at the end of the month. Habtie could have many other jobs, but he chooses to be at Selamta because he feels like he never has to work a day in his life. He always says, “Selamta is my family.”

About three days before we left Ethiopia, I heard the Lord ask me to give my soldier key to Habtie.

Later that day, we met up with Habtie and the mothers from the Selamta houses to have lunch. As I was washing dishes in the kitchen, Habtie walked up, grabbed my key, and asked me, “What does soldier mean?” Talk about CONFIRMATION. I asked him what he thought soldier meant, and he said, “I don’t think it has to mean someone that is super strong and has no emotion. I think it could mean something different. I want to think about that.”

I was blown away. I went home, made him a necklace from my para-cord, and wrote him a letter explaining why I was giving him my key. Unfortunately, I had to leave the key with a mutual friend, because we weren’t able to see Habtie again before we left Ethiopia. After we arrived in Rwanda and got wifi, I had a FB message that said “OMG. I am blown away. I just received the key, from Chris. I can’t thank you enough, RJ… One of, if not, the greatest gifts ever”.

Habtie is one of my favorite people I have met this year. He is doing the thing. He is a soldier. He is listening to God and choosing to be where he has been called. I believe he even laughs all the time because he is content.

Habtie became much more than our adopted daily host. He became my Ethiopian brother and fellow soldier for life.