One of Three Results
One of the bloodiest battles of the Italian campaign was fought at the little town of Cisterna. The memory of it was a blur to Robert Appel. He knew that he was in the middle of “hell breaking out all around.”241 The air was a cacophony of eerie sounds from the metallic missiles that seemed to fill the air around him. He had some amazing observations about the experience:
I could actually hear the whirring and swishing sounds of shells whizzing by my ears. It was an unbelievable feeling to know you were literally walking through a labyrinth of metal that seemingly never presented you with an exit. It was a bewildering complexity, so real and so unreal for one to be caught up in and yet you knew the outcome would be one of three results. You would either be wounded, killed or with God’s protective armor plus sheer good luck, you could come through unscathed.242
This soldier was wounded during the battle, but, fortunately, survived to tell us this story. His analysis of possible outcomes accurately summarized what could happen to him physically at that time. It is interesting to note that the same outcomes are also possible in our daily spiritual struggles. Our weaknesses, the thoughtlessness of others, and the dedicated effort of the Enemy all seem zeroed in on slowing and stopping our progress toward God. Unless we are prepared, any of these pitfalls can hurt and even mortally wound us in our faith.
Fortunately, it is also possible that we can survive unscathed, and we are blessed to know that this outcome is not just a matter of sheer luck. The apostle Paul encouraged us to put on the “full armor of God” and place our spiritual safety in the hands of the one who guaranteed it through his own mortal wounds: our Savior, Jesus Christ.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.
—Ephesians 6:12–13