Soap?

IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING how the Lord works through the simplest little things. In this case a soap dish left behind in the shower facility that I share with others. Someone showered and then forgot about this dish. I myself lost a soap dish right after I arrived at Camp Eggers. The thing about this particular soap dish was how meaningful had been to me. My last few years of active duty with combat camera, I deployed with that dish. It was a sturdy dish that I had found in the shower of one of the ships I visited in the Persian Gulf. I was fond of the dish because it was constructed of a heavier plastic. Sure, it was just a plastic soap dish, but it had memories attached to it.

The soap dish!

So when I lost my dish almost right after my arrival to Camp Eggers, it was like a little bit of me was gone. As simple as that may seem, that was a piece of me, something that held memories for me, and now it’s gone.

I’ve gone almost two months now without a soap dish. I just wrap my soap up in a paper towel after use. It’s not ideal but it works; and I’ve been too cheap to buy another one for whatever reason.

Yesterday I went to shower, and what did I see, a soap dish just laying there above the sink. My thoughts were, “Oh, yes a soap dish!” I’m excited. That’s my new soap dish, you know. I grabbed it, and I went into the shower. I hadn’t even turned on the water when I open up the soap dish. Inside there was some kind of little gray bars of soap: One still in the plastic, one out. It looked like something that was a little out of the normal, something a little nicer than normal soap. Looking down at the dish, I was thinking that this is somebody else’s soap. I couldn’t shake the feeling that somebody else is now having the same feelings that I had when I lost my soap dish. Now sure, they might not be quite as attached to their soap dish as I was, but I’m sure they were at least thinking “Man, I freaking left my soap in the shower!” The thought just kept up that this is somebody else’s.

Now I was thinking that if I leave the dish here, I don’t know for sure that the owner will get it back, but at least they have a chance of getting it back. The reality is that I’m not stuck somewhere where I’m going to live or die without a soap dish. I have the means to get another soap dish. There is no reason for me to not buy my own.

So I left the dish. The fact that this little soap dish was such a big deal moved me. A stupid little soap dish! How much is a soap dish, a couple bucks? The fact that it was such a big deal led me to realize that it probably was a big deal that I treat it correctly, and that I’d better not take it. That’s when I realized that the Lord was working in me, connecting with me. So I left the dish.

I posted my thoughts about my dilemma on Facebook, and got various responses. Some people were like yeah you should take it, which of course was my initial response. No harm done. It is only a soap dish. But there were several responses expressing that they were glad that I didn’t take the dish.

It was a small thing, but small things are big things in His kingdom, that would be our Creators’ kingdom. And that’s the truth. The smallest things are the biggest things, and the biggest things are the smallest things. And His ways are not our ways. So I got a lot of encouragement from those Facebook post.

As it turns out this situation with the dish really pointed to an even bigger issue. I’ve really been struggling lately with my relationship with the Lord. There are some things from my past that are creeping in and strangling me on this deployment. It’s been hard, really hard these last couple of days.

The door between my creator and I was slammed closed the last couple of days, and I couldn’t get it back open. Knowing what to do and actually doing it are so different. Having the encouragement from others, knowing that I made the right decision help things to come to a head tonight. It was through a little soap dish that the Lord brought me back into community with Him, to a place where I can worship Him again, a place where I can have an open relationship with my Lord. I was knowing and not able to do, and this little soap dish was part of me getting back to doing.

The soap dish was still there Tonight when I walked into the restroom. It’s been moved over a couple of spots, but it is still there. When I saw it I was like, Thank You Lord for little things, like this soap dish. As silly and ridiculous as it may seem, my Lord cares so much about me that He is going to use anything He can to get me back.

When you’re deployed literally half way across the world everyday life gets harder. It gets hard when you are completely removed from your family and friends. Yet, thankfully, I have a supportive online community. So I’m not halfway around the world all alone. I have my Lord, my community and a guest appearance by a soap dish. And I thank Him for that.

October 12, 2009

AFTER A THREE YEAR break in service to the US Navy I find myself at the beginning of a 420 day journey around the world to Kabul Afghanistan, serving my country with the prayers of friends and family going before me. These prayers are for many things. Safety is the most obvious request, but the main request for me is that these prayers would be for my ability to surrender my: time, family, and desires to whatever purpose the Lord has set out before me.

Left, Tori, Elicia, Chris and Deborah.

Flying south to San Diego eating the box lunch I brought, I'm struck by how great this sandwich is. A BLT made at the diner this morning, it's really good! Lunch brings me back to this morning with the family. Let me get past the BLT.

Flying into San Diego, CA.


My wife Deborah, two daughters, Tori and Elicia, and I had a good going away breakfast with my parents this morning at Dave's dinner near Seatac international airport. While eating and talking about the year to come my Mother keenly spotted a box lunch choice on the menu. Being a mother who cares and loves her son, no matter how old I get, she also ordered the lunch for me, ensuring her son didn't go hungry.

I got the BLT with oranges and chocolate chip cookies, wow, turned out to be a great choice. Juicy tomatoes, slightly salty bacon all on toasted sourdough bread. I'm positive it is superior in taste to the snack pack the airline is offering for the same price, ouch! Today I'm reminded that God is good even in the little details of our lives. This morning as I checked in at the airline kiosk I tried to change my seat from my assigned middle seat to a window or isle seat with no success. The screen of the kiosk glared back at me with only four available seats, all of which were in the middle of a row. So I left my seating assignment unchanged, packing my bags over to baggage check. Once there, what do you know but the lady behind the desk asks me
if I would like a window seat in a emergency exit isle? What, are you asking if I would like a lot of leg room and a window? Of course! (By the way one of those initial four empty seats happens to be beside me right now.)

Power lines just outside the Base fence.


The little details, if you look, God is in all of them: the enjoyable conversation, breakfast with the family one last time for a year, tears shed at the airport gate, a great lunch, and legroom to spare. Why is it that I only concentrate on the things that I consider big and important: the career, how can I upgrade the house, when will my car get a fresh coat of paint? I can only imagine looking down from Gods perspective upon my live and seeing all the little pieces that make it up and being in complete awe. How uptight I can get about things, which in my eyes, advance my life.

What a perspective God must have. Another thing I need to add to the prayer list, perspective control! Did I mention it was a great BLT?