Connection
Mark E. Haskins
April 24, 2025
Like a laser-guided missile, the General headed straight for the Corporal, ignoring all those around him and the task at hand. He was not going to be deterred.
Several years ago, I attended a speech by retired 4-star General (US Army) Stanley McChrystal.1 At that time, he had gained notoriety for his novel means of waging war against the Taliban and being fired by President Obama after a Rolling Stone interview. I was not disappointed by his talk.
But that was not the highlight of the afternoon. A few minutes before his talk was to begin, as he shuffled notes at the podium, and as aides were still milling about on the stage, he looked up. A young man had entered the auditorium with a friend of mine where I was waiting to greet them. It is not clear why the General looked up at that moment, but he did. He stopped what he was doing, disregarded the soon-to-arrive scheduled time for his speech, and walked briskly to the edge of the stage. Without hesitation, he stepped down and headed up the long aisle right for my friend and his guest, Rob Jones. As the General arrived at our threesome, he had eyes primarily for Rob. He smiled, extended his right hand, and introduced himself to Rob.
Rob is a double amputee. He was a Corporal in the US Marine Corp, served in Afghanistan and one day, an improvised explosive device (IED) took both his legs below the knee.2 He clearly wears the effects of battle. Certainly, the General had seen that from afar. Rank did not matter. Notoriety did not matter. Schedule did not matter. Age did not matter. The encounter was one warrior to another, both familiar with the same battlefield and the same enemy.
Rob had been severely scarred by the life he was purposefully living on that traumatic day. Then, on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday afternoon years later, Rob meets the ‘Head Guy’ face to face through no effort, or expectation, on his part. The General not only saw Rob, but he also came to him and warmly greeted him. The moment was tender. It was affirming. It was a retired 4-star General connecting with a former Corporal to convey: I see you; I care; I want to know you.
That was probably not the first encounter the General had had like that. At that time, he spoke all across the country and stood in front of numerous audiences each year. I would guess that he had learned to scan his audiences with intent and hope for opportunities just like the one I witnessed between him and Rob. Situational awareness is a key military concept. McChrystal was situationally aware of those entering the auditorium that afternoon. He was primed and poised to go out of his way to connect with those who arrived showing the effects of war.
In an analogous way, and on ordinary Tuesday afternoons, Jesus is scanning every room in every realm. He is not too busy to do that. He does so with a hopefulness just like the watchful father of the prodigal son hoped (Luke 15: 20). He searches. He sees. He takes special note of those most wounded by life’s battles and those living life with a solo tendency (see March 2025 blog). He does not hesitate to seek us out. He approaches. He makes Himself known. He knows our story and wants to delve into it with us. He wants us to hear His tender, authentic invitation for connection. And unlike the encounter between the General and the Corporal, it will not be “one and done.” He seeks to connect again and again. He does so even if we are unwelcoming or too busy to notice. He will not be discouraged. He wants to connect as intimately as, He in me and me in Him, and as strongly as a branch is to its vine (John 15: 5 and 17: 21-23).
It has been said, “Our Lord knows us best and loves us the most.” That propels Him to never lose interest in you, in me. He sees you, He sees me, even if we are trying not to be found. He saw Saul on a dusty road to Damascus (Acts 9). He saw Zacchaeus perched in a tree (Luke 19). He saw the infirm woman (Luke 13). He saw James and John mending nets in a boat (Matthew 4). He saw Levi working in a toll booth (Mark 2). He saw a widow give much as an offering (Luke 21). He wants to engage. He comes more than halfway. Indeed, He came all the way to find us. He came as a man to earth. He experienced death to bring us life (I John 5: 11-12). He knocks at the door of our heart (Revelation 3: 20). He does this in some way every day whether we are not followers, are new followers, or are seasoned followers of Him. That is GOOD news! He desires deep connection. That is GOOD news! For those who are His followers, He has a mission. That is GOOD news! Whether that mission is big or small, that is why we who love Him are still here, not having been whisked away to His side when we first loved Him. We are here to help bring His connection to others and let’s not think He can’t use us because “I’m past my expiration date”.3 “The powerful play goes on, [so that] you may contribute a verse.”4 That is GOOD news! Let’s not take all this GOOD news for granted. Do we want His ever-deeper connection? Are we holding back?
In a different setting, I heard another retired 4-star General, (US Air Force), Gregory Martin5, remind a group of active-duty officers what a mentor had encouraged him to remember: “Everyone is important, some just have more responsibility.” Jesus certainly modeled that—each person He met was important no matter their standing. In short, He conveyed by word, or deed, or both: I see you; I care about you; I want to connect with you. We can do that, too! That’s how we manifest Jesus’ spirit in us to those we encounter. That’s how we witness for Him. That’s how we can bless others. Are we noticing those who cross our path, remembering that everyone is important? Are we situationally aware, ready to reach out, to initiate a caring connection on His behalf? Our God is not a “one and done” God. He pursues us even after we have said, “yes, Lord, I love you.” He does so because He wants a deeper, richer connection. Isn’t that GREAT news?
1 McChrystal was the “former commander of the nation’s premier military counter-terrorism force, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).” See https://www.mcchrystalgroup.com/about/our-team/team-member/executive-leadership-team/stan-mcchrystal (accessed 2-25-25) and “US Afghan Commander Stanley McChrystal fired by Obama” (June 24, 2010) available at https://www.bbc.com/news/10395402 (accessed 4-13-25).
2 For more on Rob, see some of his story as reported by Billy Perrigo (October 12, 2017), “Meet the double-amputee veteran running 31 marathons in 31 days”, available at https://time.com/4979290/double-amputee-veteran-rob-jones-31-marathons-charity/ (accessed 2-25-25).
3 Daniel Silva, The Heist, (Harper, NY, NY, 2015), p. 40.
4 This is the closing line of a poem recited by Robin Williams’ character in the movie Dead Poet’s Society. The poem, “O Me! O Life!” was written by Walt Whitman and was published in Leaves of Grass.
5 For more on Martin see https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/1316903/gregory-s-martin/ (accessed 2-25-25).
