Anger...Sadness...Anger...Confusion...Anger...Hopelessness...Anger...Drea...

August 16, 2021. The Fall of Kabul: Day 7,253.

Emotions run rampant. Nerves and memories are raw. Pictures from a life left long ago return to the forefront, and we are confused. Do we embrace them? Forget them? Some memories make us laugh, and then cry. Others make us cry, then laugh. For some of us it was ten years ago. For others, it was last night.

Servant Leader, many of your people are distracted today, not because they are physically standing on the tarmac at Kabul International Airport (KAIA), but because they can still smell the air and feel the breeze coming down from the Hindu Kush. They hear their Afghan interpreter speak their name in their dreams. They taste the cold January air - it tastes like rubber and excrement. And it doesn't matter that the last time they flew out of KAIA the Allies were firmly in control. It doesn't even matter that the Taliban is now legitimately in control of the entire nation of Afghanistan.

People across America and even the world are wondering, "What comes next?" "What do we do?" Veterans and civilians alike sweated, bled, slept under constant threat if they slept at all. Those Alphas are confused. They are action-oriented. That's why they were in Afghanistan in the first place.

These aren't the type of people who sit back and let others do the work. They dive in, elbows deep, and get it done. They may have staffs and teams now. Their bellies are bigger, arms smaller, and their hair is longer (if they have hair at all), but their passion for their work in Afghanistan waxes strong. They made friends who made memories. They freed entire generations of women and children from sure slavery and hopelessness. For most, it was less a religious battle than it was a battle for humanity. It was a battle to prevent a feudal state where a class of men dominate every second of every day.

Today, we lost that battle. Today, Kabul fell.

What do we do, Servant Leader, when our people are distracted and hurting? How do we comfort those whose past lives appear to have emerged as today's sins? How do we console a mother, brother, or friend who speaks to a ghost in a flag-draped coffin on a day when they are forced to question everything they have been taught is right, and good, and worthwhile?

"In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise." (Prov. 10:19, NKJV)

Start by listening, Servant Leader. Don't try to fix things, just listen. Don't add to the confusion and don't feed the anger, just listen. Let their words be their prayer, and while they speak, pray.

"Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal. 6:2, NKJV)

Be present in the moment. Be the shoulder they need to cry on or the crutch they need to stand. Listen to hear their pain and pray to heal their pain. Be the friend they need.

Be understanding. Maybe you share similar experiences. Maybe you can't even find Afghanistan on a map. Either way, understand that their pain is real regardless of the time and distance from their service. And leave the platitudes at home.

"So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." (Eze. 22:30, NKJV)

So, stand, Servant Leader, stand silently. Stand steadily. But stand in their place. Pray their prayer. Be their friend. Be there.

And if the Spirit moves them, be ready to answer.

"The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as are crushed in spirit." (Psa. 34:18, NKJV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

Amen.

(Psalm 23)

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