A Sick Heart

By, Jamie Warner

For an unseasonably warm, yet oh-so-comfortable-week, twenty-four of our nation’s Warriors gathered together at SkyRose Ranch for the 26^th Legacy Program of 2019. These men arrived as individuals, men separate and alone, trying their best to wade through the quagmire of traumatic experiences. All their lives they’ve been taught to dig deep, muster courage, and press forward as a sole warrior in a fight to the death.

That kind of independence is lonely, exhausting, and defeating. But when you’ve been fed lies from the enemy telling you that no one could understand, no one could relate, and worst of all, no one would forgive you for the things you’ve said and done and experienced, you naturally feel compelled to go it alone. This solitude creates in us bitterness and rage, resentment and spite. Left to ourselves we carve a path of devastation and heartache. Isolation leaves us hopeless and sick. Proverbs 13:12 begins,

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick”

Hopelessness sits at the root of so many of the issues our Warriors face. As the classes unfold during Legacy week, truths are shared, and the lies are exposed. The effects of going it alone are made obvious. The Bible, this blueprint, confirms the destructiveness of isolation:

“Where there is no counsel, the people fall…”

We were not meant to live this life alone. We were created for brotherhood. We were created to lift each other up when this life has knocked us down. We were created to lock arms with brothers and sisters and pursue a life of meaning and purpose. God created us to use our stories to bring hope and healing to one another.

“Where there is no counsel, the people fall;

But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14

When the plague of isolation is broken, Hope glimmers on the horizon once again. When we allow brothers to walk into the fray with us, when we stand side-by-side in the messes of this life, Hope begins to bloom.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12). When we desire to move in the direction we were created to move, the promise of hope will sustain us like a tree of life. When we align our lives to the life God intended us to live, in community and brotherhood, we will have purpose and hope, and that’s exactly what these 24 men left Legacy Program with.

Apply Today

The Mighty Oaks Warrior journey begins with intensive peer based programs that utilize instructional sessions, camaraderie, and team building activities that are designed to challenge our Warriors to overcome their past experiences and move forward into a life of purpose. Our programs are offered at no-cost to our Nation’s Warriors, apply today.