And more recently, it took him to Ukraine, where he was helping evacuate civilians from the city of Bakmut, the site of the war’s most recent fighting, and some of the fiercest. On February 2, at the age of 33, Pete was killed when a Russian shell hit his ambulance as it was leaving the city.
His wife, Alex, had this to say about her husband: “I never met someone more selfless. Everything he did was always for the benefit of others.” (They met when they were both in Iraq and married five days before the war in Ukraine began.) A medic who served with him in Iraq said, “He had the biggest heart and was willing to put himself in harm’s way to help others to the max.”
I’m not sure exactly why I’m putting this story out there that you may have already seen; it seems to have been covered by a wide variety of news outlets. One reason is that here is one who deserves to have his life and work and service recognized and honored.
But the other reason, I suppose, is that we all ought to pause every once in a while as Christians and ask ourselves: How selfless am I and how selfless am I willing to be? Jesus told us that he came “not to be served but to serve,” and that this is to be the direction of our lives, too.
But how selfless are we really? It would be hard, the word impossible comes to mind, to follow in Pete Reed’s footsteps and to reach the kind of standard he set. But how much are we willing to reach out to others? How much will we help, serve, give? How selfless would we be if someone else really needed something sacrificial from us?
These are the kinds of questions I should raise occasionally. It’s my job, I think, to remind us of all that the Christian life calls us to live for others, and to periodically ask how we’re doing in that regard. So, with Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent just around the corner, a time when we might think more intentionally about our spiritual lives, I thought I would ask.
Grace and Hope to you,
Pastor Duane
