Train to Live on Mission – Week 33
Battle Drill #33:
“Keep Getting Up! (Learning Resilience)”
Proverbs 24:16 (NAS95)
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Keep Getting Up!” Today, we are going to undergo resilience training, one of the favorite teachings of the US Army Chaplaincy School. In the military, the role of the chaplain to his unit is complex and multifaceted. In addition to other duties and responsibilities, the chaplain performs or provides religious services to the diversity of soldiers in the unit as requested, and the chaplain serves on the commander’s staff as a “combat multiplier.” Some commanders only care about this last function because they have a utilitarian view of chaplains and religion – whoever and whatever can make their soldiers more effective on the battlefield is all that matters to them! This last role of a chaplain can be daunting to the uninitiated.
As a combat multiplier, the chaplain helps soldiers focus on the mission, without distraction, and give their very best, without compromise, to the job that needs to be done. This may feel clean and easy, especially when it looks like marriage conferences and stress management seminars back on base. But what happens when it starts to include doing critical incident debriefs after combat missions to mitigate the immediate effects of a traumatic experience so that the soldiers can go back out on their next mission? Or when it is the transitional work to help minimize the long-term effects of repeated traumatic experiences after being in a theatre of operations for a sustained time before redeploying home to loved ones? Battlemind training is real and helping soldiers transition out of it and come home is a critical work of a team.
Resilience training is the work of a team – the chaplain, the medical providers, and the chain of command (to include the Family Support Group at home in preparation for receiving soldiers back from deployments). Resilience training aims at teaching soldiers the skills to retain their mental health, emotional well-being, and physical capacity to be able to CM – continue the mission – regardless of what the mission has asked of them or taken from them, or their buddies. This is hard work, and the Army has recognized that spirituality, for those who practice their own, has an essential role to play in increasing a soldier’s resilience!
As a church, we must learn how to CM after we’ve been through traumatic experiences, either personally or vicariously. To put it simply, resilience is the ability to bounce back when you have no reason to be able to get back up from being knocked down (or falling) in the first place. I summarize resilience like this, “Never stop starting!” Don’t just get up, bounce forward! Resilience is the ability to learn from the worst of experiences and demanding of circumstances to get better. Imagine what the church would look like today, what your family would look like, what you would look like if you learned resiliency skills. Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training routine to live on mission.
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.
Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.
Cindy Sheffer’s testimony
To further illustrate, we are going to turn to God’s Word and contrast two of the disciples of Jesus Christ – Peter and Judas. Both were hand-picked by Jesus, through the same discernment process of prayer. Both walked with Jesus for three years, and both forsook Jesus at the end of his life – Peter by denying Jesus three times and Judas by betraying his location to the Sanhedrin. What was the difference?
I know we can spiritualize the answer to this question and let ourselves off the hook by explaining how Peter was preordained to be the rock of the church and Judas the son of perdition. While we wouldn’t be wrong to point that out, we would be wrong to think that neither man had choices of their own to make along the way of becoming what they were. C.S. Lewis explained it this way in Mere Christianity:
Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state of the other.[1]
I believe that Peter demonstrated the best of resiliency; whereas Judas fell and did not get back up. They are an illustration of Proverbs 24:16, “For a righteous man [Peter] falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked [Judas] stumble in time of calamity.”
Allow me to emphasize my point by talking about the end of their journeys with Jesus. Judas’ story ends in Matthew 27:3-5:
Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. (cf. Acts 1.18)
I believe with my whole heart that Jesus would have forgiven Judas the same way He forgave Peter if he had been resilient. Let’s now turn to that critical moment with Peter in John 21:15-17:
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
His fall was foreseen, he was warned about it, and in his pride he fell anyways. But here is the difference between the two – three days! Three days after His death on the Cross, Jesus defeated death through His resurrection, which made redemption possible for anyone who came to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. The atonement of sin was made through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. In response to the shed blood of Jesus Christ, Judas killed himself, whereas Peter was cleansed from his unrighteousness by it, because of three days!
We each have the same choice to make! Will you train spiritual resilience by learning to trust in the healing and cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ? Will you live your life according to the promise of the resurrection – Jesus got back up! So can you – learn resiliency!
There is a better way to live than giving yourself over to bitterness over your hurts, habits, and hang ups. That brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.
There are numerous Bible characters we can study to learn resiliency skills. From the Old Testament, Joseph and King David come to mind, as do the prophets, such as Jeremiah and Daniel. From the New Testament, we have already learned from Peter, so let’s look at four verses from Paul’s ministry that give us insight into his real-life resiliency skills, each of which we can apply to our own lives:
- In Romans 8:35-39, Paul teaches us the importance of a positive outlook that allows us to put negative events into perspective and helps us see that our hardships are temporary. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- In 2 Corinthians 4:7-11, Paul explains that our bodies are an important part of our resiliency training (they are temples of the Holy Spirit after all). The better our physical health, the better we adapt to and learn from stressful situations. This includes proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and effective exercise. It also works the other way because stress kills – better resiliency equals better health! “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
- In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Paul demonstrates for us an active coping mechanism to face the reality of our situations, honestly process our emotions, and effectively solve any problem to the glory of God. “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
- In Philippians 1:21-26, Paul exhorts us to attach meaning, purpose, and value to our experiences. Our faith provides a moral compass on how to respond in our situations that continues the mission and furthers the gospel, even in the face of our own deaths. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”
As you learn to apply God’s Word in practical ways, you will cultivate a positive outlook on your life and circumstances (mind), care for your physical well-being (body), apply healthy coping mechanisms to regulate your emotions (heart), and maintain your moral, ethical, spiritual compass in the midst of your response (soul). In other words, your resiliency skills, when properly trained into your life will help you obey Jesus’ Greatest Commandments, found in Matthew 22:37-40, regardless of your circumstances:
And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
In doing so, you are assured to please your Commander by obeying Him. This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regime.
Action Step #4) Live on mission.
God has given every believer the same power that gave Jesus the resiliency to live His life on mission for God, without distraction, and to face His own death for the glory of God, without compromise. Paul prayed according to these truths for his own ministry in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” As good soldiers of Jesus Christ, this is my closing prayer for you, that may you walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave, so that you may live your life on mission for God, without distraction, and face your own death for the glory of God, without compromise. Join with me in praying, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Say that out loud three times. If you believe that, and learn to live it, you will be able to get back up and CM, no matter the circumstances of your life.
Jesus was tempted. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus was misunderstood. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus was gossiped about. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus was ridiculed. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus was betrayed. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus was abandoned. You will be, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus wept and was grieved. You will, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus anguished and experienced anxiety. You will, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus experienced pain and suffering. You will, too – Get back up and CM!
Jesus died. You will, too – Glorify God with your death and CM!
Jesus was resurrected. You will be, too! Do you believe this?