Readiness – It’s a concept we use every day. “Get ready for school.” “Get ready for work.” “Get ready for the next Operational Readiness Inspection.”
To determine our level of readiness we often look at multiple indicators to evaluate it against a set of prescribed rules or directives. Yet spiritual readiness shows itself more in the day-to-day living of our lives.
Whether deployed to the front lines or taking care of the home front, Air Force family members must be spiritually ready. Consider the following questions. Do we have a moral foundation for our decisions? Are we able to face life with inner peace having experienced forgiveness? Do we understand our world view and how it impacts our interpretation of information? Are we motivated by a higher purpose? A purpose beyond ourselves?
Chaplains are uniquely trained to assist in these important areas of spiritual readiness: moral foundations, forgiveness, world views and higher purpose.
Not everything fits into checklists, instructions, regulations or directives. Periodically, we face ethical dilemmas that fall into gray areas. Beyond what we have learned, we often find ourselves looking for extra guidance in our decisions.
We search our moral “warehouse,” stocked over time with our experiences and instructions, for a set of principles to apply in difficult decisions. All too often we find our “warehouse” lacking the essential moral “equipment” needed to accomplish the mission. Chaplains can help sort out the confusion of ethical dilemmas and moral vacuums.
As professionals who understand military challenges, societal demands and personal convictions, chaplains are a valuable resource in helping one chart an ethical course through troubled waters whether at work or at home.
Spiritual readiness also demands that we be free from the burdens of guilt and anger. Before, during and after a deployment, we may find ourselves struggling with guilt and anger. Guilt eats away at one’s concentration, and anger left unchecked can drastically impede good judgment.
As we face the horrors of war and the realities of our own mortality, we need to be free from the natural effect of our fallen nature – guilt. Unless we experience true forgiveness, we cannot offer it to others. If we do not have it ourselves, we cannot be totally free to fight our nation’s wars and life’s battles. Chaplains can help us discover forgiveness.
We all approach life with learned perspectives, filters if you will, through which we interpret our world. These filters are instilled in us over the years through both culture and experience. We call these filters our world view – our set of beliefs through which we process events and information that bombard us each day. Our world view directly impacts the quality of our decisions and actions, both on and off the job. Chaplains can help you consider your world view and its impact.
Finally, though mission and patriotism are strong motivators, what happens when these sources of motivation fade? What will keep us in the fight? What will keep us keeping on?
Divine purpose provides the source of motivation needed. Internal motivations are easily swayed by external influences. Earthly purposes quickly fade with time. When we question the purpose of our lives and our service, where can we turn? Looking for a connection to something outside our own selves provides the essential perspective that keeps us going when we run out of steam. As “visible reminders of the Holy,” chaplains can help us find clarity of purpose and meaning.
In these critical times as a nation we are called to “be ready,” and to be fully ready we must pay attention to our spiritual readiness. To be spiritually ready we have to be able to answer the following questions: Do we have a moral foundation for our decisions? Are we able to face life with inner peace having experienced forgiveness? Do we understand our world view and how it impacts our interpretation of information? Are we motivated by a higher purpose? A purpose beyond ourselves?
So, remember, chaplains are a great resource as you work on your spiritual readiness. Seek them out.
• The Holy Family Catholic Community sponsors Stations of the Cross and soup suppers Fridays during Lent at the Ramstein North Chapel. Stations begin at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a soup supper. For details, call the chaplain’s office at 480-5753.
• The Protestant Community offers midweek Lenten soup supper at 6 p.m. and Liturgical service with communion at 6:45 p.m. Wednesdays during Lent (Wednesday and March 10, 17 and 24) at the Ramstein South Chapel.
• The Landstuhl Chapel conducts Mass at 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays during Lent.
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Readiness – It’s a concept we use every day. “Get ready for school.” “Get ready for work.” “Get ready for the next Operational Readiness Inspection.”
To determine our level of readiness we often look at multiple indicators to evaluate it against a set of prescribed rules or directives. Yet spiritual readiness shows itself more in the day-to-day living of our lives.
Whether deployed to the front lines or taking care of the home front, Air Force family members must be spiritually ready. Consider the following questions. Do we have a moral foundation for our decisions? Are we able to face life with inner peace having experienced forgiveness? Do we understand our world view and how it impacts our interpretation of information? Are we motivated by a higher purpose? A purpose beyond ourselves?
Chaplains are uniquely trained to assist in these important areas of spiritual readiness: moral foundations, forgiveness, world views and higher purpose.
Not everything fits into checklists, instructions, regulations or directives. Periodically, we face ethical dilemmas that fall into gray areas. Beyond what we have learned, we often find ourselves looking for extra guidance in our decisions.
We search our moral “warehouse,” stocked over time with our experiences and instructions, for a set of principles to apply in difficult decisions. All too often we find our “warehouse” lacking the essential moral “equipment” needed to accomplish the mission. Chaplains can help sort out the confusion of ethical dilemmas and moral vacuums.
As professionals who understand military challenges, societal demands and personal convictions, chaplains are a valuable resource in helping one chart an ethical course through troubled waters whether at work or at home.
Spiritual readiness also demands that we be free from the burdens of guilt and anger. Before, during and after a deployment, we may find ourselves struggling with guilt and anger. Guilt eats away at one’s concentration, and anger left unchecked can drastically impede good judgment.
As we face the horrors of war and the realities of our own mortality, we need to be free from the natural effect of our fallen nature – guilt. Unless we experience true forgiveness, we cannot offer it to others. If we do not have it ourselves, we cannot be totally free to fight our nation’s wars and life’s battles. Chaplains can help us discover forgiveness.
We all approach life with learned perspectives, filters if you will, through which we interpret our world. These filters are instilled in us over the years through both culture and experience. We call these filters our world view – our set of beliefs through which we process events and information that bombard us each day. Our world view directly impacts the quality of our decisions and actions, both on and off the job. Chaplains can help you consider your world view and its impact.
Finally, though mission and patriotism are strong motivators, what happens when these sources of motivation fade? What will keep us in the fight? What will keep us keeping on?
Divine purpose provides the source of motivation needed. Internal motivations are easily swayed by external influences. Earthly purposes quickly fade with time. When we question the purpose of our lives and our service, where can we turn? Looking for a connection to something outside our own selves provides the essential perspective that keeps us going when we run out of steam. As “visible reminders of the Holy,” chaplains can help us find clarity of purpose and meaning.
In these critical times as a nation we are called to “be ready,” and to be fully ready we must pay attention to our spiritual readiness. To be spiritually ready we have to be able to answer the following questions: Do we have a moral foundation for our decisions? Are we able to face life with inner peace having experienced forgiveness? Do we understand our world view and how it impacts our interpretation of information? Are we motivated by a higher purpose? A purpose beyond ourselves?
So, remember, chaplains are a great resource as you work on your spiritual readiness. Seek them out.
• The Holy Family Catholic Community sponsors Stations of the Cross and soup suppers Fridays during Lent at the Ramstein North Chapel. Stations begin at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a soup supper. For details, call the chaplain’s office at 480-5753.
• The Protestant Community offers midweek Lenten soup supper at 6 p.m. and Liturgical service with communion at 6:45 p.m. Wednesdays during Lent (Wednesday and March 10, 17 and 24) at the Ramstein South Chapel.
• The Landstuhl Chapel conducts Mass at 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays during Lent.