The Heart of a Warrior

Chad Robichaux comes from a long line of military service members. His grandparents fought in World War II and Korea. His father served in Vietnam, and both of Chad’s sons served in the Marines. Chad was himself a force recon Marine who did eight deployments to Afghanistan.

He recalls an incident there that reinforced two important rules about taking action. His vehicle was surrounded by Taliban armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. It was the kind of dangerous situation his unit referred to as “being on the X” – the X representing the center of a target.

The question for Chad and his men was, “What do you do when you’re smack in the center of a kill zone?” Chad’s training taught him two rules:

1. Recognize that you’re in a bad situation.

2. Get off the X before something bad happens.

Even those of us not serving in the military can find ourselves on the X. We can get stuck in an addiction, a struggling marriage, passivity, fear, depression, or any number of other hardships.

For Chad, “being on the X” in civilian life began with bringing his anger and frustration home from Afghanistan. He became a self-described tyrant with his family – slamming doors, breaking things, and speaking harshly. Eventually, his anxiety escalated into full-blown panic attacks that manifested physiologically as numbness in his fingers, in his face, and in his throat to the degree that he struggled to breathe.

The solution for Chad – and the solution for us in our struggles – is recognizing that we’re in a bad situation and doing something to get off the X.

How?

We’re airing a recorded talk by Chad Robichaux on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly in which he shares how the assurance of Christ can empower you to move away from the X and to step forward into a life of promise with God.

Listen on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, or on our free phone app.

If you’re stuck on an X, we have caring Christian counselors on staff who can offer you a free consultation. Call us, leave your name and number, and they’ll get back with you just as soon as possible. The number during business hours is 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

I’d also like to offer you a copy of Chad’s book Saving Aziz: How the Mission to Help One Became a Calling to Save Thousands for a gift of any amount. And when you help Focus on the Family today with a gift, your donation will be DOUBLED for twice the impact in helping others through this ministry. Our thanks to generous donors who’ve made that possible. Click here for more information or give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).