Devotion & Deprivation

Have you ever been stranded, Dear Partner? Stuck somewhere, feeling deprived of what you considered the necessities of daily life? Trust me, a rustic life like Robinson Crusoe has never been on my top ten list. For better or worse, there have been a couple of times when I was a kid, it felt like our family was stranded, seemingly deprived of shelter and safety.

When my brother and I were in junior high, Daddy thought it would be a great idea to make our annual trip from the Midwest to visit family on the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida a camping trip. Buddy and I were excited. We did Scouts and Camp Fire Girls: we loved camping, Dear Reader! Mama, not so much.

No, we were not traveling in anything close to one of these sweet rides. Our “rig” consisted of a Ford sedan, a small trailer Daddy and Buddy built, and a tent. (Does anyone even camp in tents anymore?)

We’d done pretty well, traveling over two thousand miles and were nearly home. The Promised Land was only 369 miles and one more night in the tent away , , , or so we thought.

Daddy expertly drove us up Rich Mountain in Queen Wilhelmina State Park to the last campsite of our grand adventure. It was still daylight, but on top of the mountain, the air was starting to cool off in the hot July evening. (DISCLAIMER: This was way before the digital age. If you didn’t have access to a tv or radio, you didn’t have access to weather reporting.)

Tent up, small campfire to roast the remaining hot dogs, sleeping bags rolled out. The sooner we hit the hay, the sooner we headed home. Unfortunately, before the sun was up, “sooner” arrived by jarring us awake with nature’s own alarm clock: a massive thunder and electrical storm. An observer watching our family may have thought they’d stumbled onto the set of Keystone Kops.

Rain was rapidly invading our tent. Mama stood in a corner trying to throw together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while Buddy and I rolled up soggy sleeping bags. Daddy was trying to save tent poles, throwing things into the trailer and car trunk. All-in-all, a lot of bumbling and yelling. It looked like a disaster scene with food, shelter, transportation, etc. looking like a hot mess.

Apologies, Dear Reader, that’s a long story and a huge leap to the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge.

Gazing back on the Colonies official break with England is easy from our laptops and La-z-Boys. It’s easy to forget or overlook that General George Washington was trying to lead a volunteer army. It’s hard to imagine, Dear Reader, that even rudimentary resources, like food, clothing, medical supplies, and shelter were not provided. Volunteers brought what they could from home, they scavenged surrounding areas, and leaned heavily on the few wealthy benefactors the army had.

One quote and one statistic reveal a powerful hallmark of that harsh winter encampment. As the troops sought shelter in their flimsy huts, with few provisions, nearly twenty percent of them perished. (Reminder, during this period of American History, battles and wars were typically fought seasonally. None of the deaths at Valley Forge were due to combat.) Gen. Washington was concerned early on about the dire straits his men would have to endure:

 “I need not enlarge upon the Variety of Necessities such as Cloathing, Fuel & Co.—both exceedingly scarce & difficult to be procured, which that Season must bring with it.”

General George Washington, August, 1775, in a letter to John Hancock

The more I read and research, the more amazed I am, time after time, at intentional choices made in the battles between devotion and deprivation, including in today’s headlines. Learning about the dire circumstances of the men at Valley Forge nearly overwhelmed me with the greatness of their patriotism toward a country that did not even have a name yet. Despite extremely harsh winter weather, despite the lack of food and warmth, even as their comrades fell due to deprivation, eighty percent chose to stay. Their devotion to building a nation makes me weep in thanksgiving and humility.

Heroes, like the soldiers at Valley Forge, are not only found embedded in our shared history, or biblical accounts; many are all around us. For me, whatever the battle or circumstances, the God of Angel Armies is always victorious, and reassures us that He is always with us.

When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2 TLB