Fighting Just for Him

He was just a plain old soldier,
With coat, and hat, and arms,
But there was something different in his eyes,
And in the way he held his form.

He stood up straighter than the rest,
His eyes were filled with light,
And no matter the man in charge of us,
He always acted right.

Some of the men resented him,
Calling him haughty and proud
But that first day I talked with him,
I knew he was different from the crowd.

His story touched my heart within,
And tears fell down my face,
And when you hear the words he spoke,
Your doubts it will erase.

He started calmly, with that light,
Still burning in his eyes,
And as he spoke, it grew to fire,
As from his heart it began to rise.

He told me of his wife so sweet,
Waiting there back home,
And of his little daughter,
Whose face he d never known.

He told me of his brother,
Who once served beside him too,
Whose life was taken unashamed,
For the country they both knew.

And I heard within his voice,
A sad and scared young man
Who in his life learned something of
The Lord God's holy plan.

For as he ended, he looked at me,
And his tear-filled eyes grew dim,
His voice was hoarse as he whispered the words,
I am fighting just for Him.

With that he left, and I sat still
Wondering what it could mean,
To fight for someone we could not see,
And join up with His team.

It wasn't till years later
I realized my mistake,
That conversation on the battlefield,
Made the mark it was meant to make.

For often in our lives we are
Fighting just to win.
When our mislaid goal should really be,
I am fighting just for Him.

~Rachel Marie Bentham~

To all of the men and women serving our
country and our God, "Thank YOU!"

[ by: Rachel Marie Bentham Copyright © 2008 (bgbentham@yahoo.com) -- submitted by: Rachel Bentham ]