So the past few days I have been constantly thinking about being a chaplain in the sense of the pressing question that haunts nearly every single officer, “Will I be able to follow the training plan and not miss any movements?” Missing a movement is the very last thing any soldier wants to experience because you are separated from you troops and miss the training.
More importantly, as the cadets are arriving tomorrow, the past few days have been filled with thoughts about them. Who they are, what issues will they have, will the in process be smooth? It always amazes me the people that God brings together. And that is something else I have been thinking about, “Who exactly are these cadets be?”
Last night I simple could not get to sleep. From excitement to being anxious were the culprits of keeping me awake. It was getting rather late, 11pm actually and I could hear the bugle playing outside. Every Army post will have a various number of bugle calls throughout the day, each meaning something different. They alert the post when the flag is being raised or coming day, marking the beginning and end of the “work day”. The calls can even alert units when chow is being served. Every single day these bulge calls are played out, almost like the “bells” on a navy ship alerting the time of day. However, at 11pm the bugle call is Taps. Such a melody echoes each night on Army installations and of course is played at funerals, memorial services and other special events. But I thought it odd that when hearing Taps being played out I thought of 2 Tim 4:1-2, “Before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, I solemnly charge you: proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.” There was a brief moment that I thought how how unique and special living on an Army post is considering few places will play music alerting what is going on.
More importantly, as the cadets are arriving tomorrow, the past few days have been filled with thoughts about them. Who they are, what issues will they have, will the in process be smooth? It always amazes me the people that God brings together. And that is something else I have been thinking about, “Who exactly are these cadets be?”
Last night I simple could not get to sleep. From excitement to being anxious were the culprits of keeping me awake. It was getting rather late, 11pm actually and I could hear the bugle playing outside. Every Army post will have a various number of bugle calls throughout the day, each meaning something different. They alert the post when the flag is being raised or coming day, marking the beginning and end of the “work day”. The calls can even alert units when chow is being served. Every single day these bulge calls are played out, almost like the “bells” on a navy ship alerting the time of day. However, at 11pm the bugle call is Taps. Such a melody echoes each night on Army installations and of course is played at funerals, memorial services and other special events. But I thought it odd that when hearing Taps being played out I thought of 2 Tim 4:1-2, “Before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, I solemnly charge you: proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.” There was a brief moment that I thought how how unique and special living on an Army post is considering few places will play music alerting what is going on.
Why did I think of that verse exactly? Except for maybe this one reason. Just as these bugle calls are played out each day, alerting when to raise, to eat and even when to go to bed and rest. A chaplain should also be consistent with this ministry and not be slow to act in mercy and love, in kindness and in grace. But this ministry should be embraced each and every single day, not just while I'm here to support the cadets but every day of my life.