For several months now I have been feeling the need for a good soul cleansing cry. Today, while Ace is going to a doctor appointment I decided to watch my favorite cry movie. I have probably watched it a half dozen times since it came out in 2009. It is tucked in my memory bank as one movie that makes me cry. This need to cry has been building as I struggle through the latest health issue. I have Lyme disease and the heavy exhaustion caused by it has been the heaviest physical burden I have ever known. I am being treated for it, but the forecast is it takes months to get back to normal. And in the meantime, I’m learning that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is let yourself feel what you’ve been carrying.
Let me say that before I identify myself as an American, I am a child of God first, my allegiance begins with Him. Please don't misunderstand, I love our country deeply, and the freedom we have was and is paid for by countless lives over many years. I am daily grateful for the freedom I wake up to and go to sleep with. Which is why this movie so moves me.
Taking Chance is the movie that follows Lt. Col. Michael Strobl as he volunteers to escort the remains of 19-year-old Marine Chance Phelps to his hometown, offering a quiet and deeply respectful portrayal of military honor. The film focuses on the dignity of the journey, the kindness of strangers, and the emotional weight carried by those involved. There is no political message, no dramatic sound tract, no sensationalism-just honor. Pure, unfiltered honor.
The movie is so well made that even if one is not a patriot it would be hard to not be moved by the true story. It becomes very clear the honor that is given to those who have given their lives for our freedom. The film reminds us that freedom is never abstract. It has a name, a face, a hometown, a grieving family. Honor is easily lost when we forget the cost-when we forget that someone's child, someone's friend, someone's whole future is laid down so ours could continue.
Scripture doesn’t shy away from the reality of military service. It presents it as honorable, necessary, and often God‑directed. Abraham’s rescue of Lot with 318 trained men (Genesis 14) shows courage and protection of the innocent. Israel’s standing army under Saul and David reveals the role of disciplined, faithful soldiers in defending the nation and upholding justice. The Bible does not glorify war, but it does acknowledge the nobility of those who stand between danger and the vulnerable.
As the credits rolled and the quiet settled around me, I found myself holding a deeper appreciation for the weight of sacrifice and the gift of freedom — but also for the God who sees every burden we carry, whether it’s a nation’s grief or a personal season of weakness. Taking Chance reminded me that honor still exists, courage still matters, and compassion still changes people. And in this slow, exhausting chapter of my own life, that reminder felt like a tender mercy. Today’s tears weren’t just for a fallen soldier; they were for the healing God is patiently working in me, one honest moment at a time.
Is there something you watch or listen to when your soul needs to cry?
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
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