By Brad Borders
The stadium lights buzzed overhead, cutting through the cool October air. James lined up at linebacker, locked in. His sister had been killed in the USS Cole bombing, and tonight, he wasn’t just playing—he was on a mission.
First snap, he read the play and shot the gap, dropping the running back in the backfield. That set the tone. By the time the game was over, he had racked up 22 tackles, picked off a pass, and helped us win. But it wasn’t just about the stats. You could feel it—he was playing for something bigger than himself.
That night stuck with me. Watching James play with that kind of purpose, seeing the way he carried his grief—it planted a seed. I didn’t know it at the time, but almost a year later, when 9/11 happened and the country was gearing up for war, that seed started to grow.
I was in youth ministry and coaching football then, working with young men not much older than James. And now, guys just like him were shipping off to Afghanistan. Later, Iraq. I couldn’t shake the thought: Who’s going to help them make sense of all this? The big questions. The fear. The loss. It wasn’t just about fighting—it was about guiding, about being there for them in the ways that mattered.
I remember telling someone I was thinking about joining the Army. He grabbed me in the hall, pulled me aside, and said, “Don’t you know there’s a war on? You’ve got kids.”
I let that sit for a second, then told him, “I know. That’s the reason I’m doing it.”
At nearly 40 years old, I raised my right hand and joined the Army. Not for college money. Not because I didn’t have other options. But because I was called to something bigger than myself. Because there was a war on. Because people did need help. Because this wasn’t just about me—it was about my kids, my family, and the kind of world they’d grow up in.
What Anchors You?
So what does it mean to live with a higher purpose? People throw around words like spirituality all the time, but it’s not always clear what they mean.
For me, my faith in Christ is the foundation of everything—it’s what guides me, steadies me, and gives meaning to the hard questions in life. But spirituality isn’t just about religion. For some, it’s a deep sense of duty, a conviction that life is about more than just personal comfort. For others, it’s the pull toward something greater, even if they can’t quite name it.
At its core, spirituality is about anchoring yourself to something bigger than you. It’s what keeps you steady when everything around you is uncertain. It’s the difference between just existing and actually living.
More Than Success—A Life of Wholeness
Purpose isn’t just a nice idea—it’s what gives us direction when things get hard. And spirituality—whatever shape that takes for you—is what keeps that purpose from being just another thing you lose when life throws a punch.
That’s where discipline comes in. If spirituality is the why, discipline is the how. It’s what keeps you moving forward when things don’t go your way. But it’s bigger than just discipline.
Spirituality isn’t just about getting through the hard times—it undergirds everything that makes a person whole.
People chase success, thinking it will make them feel complete, but success alone never does. Money, status, achievement—they can all fade. But when your life is built on something deeper, something unshakable, that’s where real fulfillment comes from. Spirituality isn’t just one part of the equation; it’s the foundation for all of it—purpose, discipline, resilience, even joy.
A Call to Action
So ask yourself: What are you anchored to?
When life shakes you—and it will—what keeps you steady? What gets you out of bed when the excitement fades? What carries you forward when things get hard?
Find it. Build on it. Live for something bigger than yourself. Because the difference between just existing and truly living comes down to one thing—whether or not you have something worth living for.
Brad Borders
“Full-time wanderer”
Brad Borders is a writer, speaker, and chaplain still finding his way, walking alongside veterans and others navigating life’s challenges. A former Army officer, he now serves as the chaplain at Richard’s Coffee Shop and works with OptiVets and Veterans Treatment Court, helping veterans reclaim their health and rebuild their lives. He writes about faith, purpose, and resilience on Substack, sharing hard-won lessons as someone still on the journey. Brad has been married to Tammy for 34 years, a testament to her patience, and they have two grown children who turned out well—despite their dad.
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