 |
 |
A Spiritual Sugar Loaf Hill  A relative offended is harder to reach than a strong city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a fortified citadel. Proverbs 18:19 (NET Bible) Recently I have had the privilege to get to know a veteran of the legendary Battle of Okinawa. He fought and lived through one of the bloodiest battles in American military history. The battle that this man fought raged for 82 days and has since become known as the “Typhoon of Steel.” By the time the two and a half month storm of war was over Japanese lost over 100,000 troops, and the Allies suffered more than 50,000 casualties, with over 12,000 killed in action, while hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, wounded or committed suicide This man was part of the 6th Marine division that struggled and eventually took a position known as “Sugar Loaf Hill.” Monsoon rains turned the island of Okinawa into a giant mud pit and the 6th Marines would gain a piece of ground one day and then lose the same piece of ground the next day. Finally, after a brutal struggle these brave men took the objective. The battle of Okinawa has become legendary in the annals of United States Military largely because of the amazing difficulty of overtaking a deadly enemy entrenched in a defensive position. This is exactly what it is like attempting to reconcile with a family member who has been offended or sinned against. When we have done wrong by our own flesh and blood, the forgiveness that we will seek will not be easy. The betrayal by one of our own family members is the worst kind of a betrayal. The struggle to win back a relative that we have sinned against will be a long and difficult one. The best way to win that battle is to never have to fight it. Staff Writer: Aaron Sharp |
 |
email to a friend