USA (MNN) — Not all, but many veterans in America today are struggling with faith, identity, and feelings of loss. This angst leads to some of the highest suicide, divorce, alcohol, and drug abuse statistics nationwide.
“Veterans have all the same life trauma that civilians experience,” says Steve Prince, Director of Warriors Set Free, a division of Set Free.
“But then on top of that, we’ve asked these young men and women to go off and, at a minimum, leave their family for long periods of time, and on the extreme end, to kill bad guys and risk their lives.”
Warriors Set Free uses the acronym TRIP to describe how it helps veterans and first responders discover and live freedom through Christ. Learn more about Warriors Set Free’s approach here.
The “T” in TRIP stands for “truth.” “We focus on biblical truth because there are a lot of versions of ‘truth’ that aren’t accurate and, therefore, not even true,” Prince says.
For example, “A lot of veterans and first responders believe that if there was a tragedy during their service, it was their fault. And that’s simply not true; these individuals have volunteered to run towards the fire and combat, and bad things will happen.”
(Photo courtesy of Warriors Set Free)
The “R” and “I” in TRIP stand for “relationships” and “identity.” “Your highest highs and your lowest lows will come from relationships,” Prince says.
“Your identity is how you view yourself. We focus heavily on your identity in Christ, but typically, for military veterans and first responders, we put our identity in our career and job.”
Finally, “P” stands for “purpose.” “Some guys are retired [from military service] at 38 or 40 years old, and they still have quite a bit of life in front of them,” Prince notes.
“Making disciples is way, way, way more important than anything we did in our career.”
Use the buttons at the bottom of the page to share this report with a veteran in your life. Then, encourage that veteran to connect with Warriors Set Free.
Header and story images courtesy of Set Free.
