The soldier stood guard over a detail of German prisoners as they repaired a drain field. It was getting close to lunch time when the German liaison officer hurried across the field calling to his fellow soldiers. Smiles broke out on their faces. Caps flew into the air and cheers erupted like fireworks. They didn’t cheer because it was time for lunch, they celebrated because the war was over! Soldiers on every side would go home to their families.
For years after, the soldier had flashbacks of his time in the war, especially on December 2nd, the anniversary of the day he was hit with shrapnel that he carried for the rest of his life. He returned from war, married and had a family.
One day we talked, and I asked if he had any bitterness toward those against whom he fought. He confessed that he discovered some prejudices he didn’t realize he harbored. One way he helped face those feelings was to study the language and the culture. He kept German books and his German bible close at hand.
He recounted the story of an event that made a great impact in his life. After he went into the ministry, he was called upon to serve as hospital chaplain. One day he got a call requesting him to visit a German lady in the hospital. Others had gone to see her, but they could not get past the language barrier. When he saw her and heard her German accent with her broken English, a wave of emotion and prejudice rose up in him. He stepped into the room and spoke to her in her own language. Immediately she was calmed and smiled as she heard words of hope in a language she understood.
In the process of ministering to her, he was the one who was healed of his prejudices. Had he not been through those experiences of war, he would not have been able to minister to the German woman. Had he not been in the position to minister to her he may not have come face to face with that which imprisoned him.
What language do you speak?