Resiliency reflection paper
Introduction
It is important to note that resilience is crucial for any chaplain in a leadership position. The Civil Air Patrol Chaplain Core gives a great definition of resilience. They write, “Resilience is the strength we have to face and work through stresses, changes and adversity in our life. It is the ‘toolbox’ of coping mechanisms that we learn and use when we aren’t ‘in control’ of a situation that brings us suffering, pain (emotional or physical), loss and emotional grief.” From understanding the definition of resilience, one can see why the attribute is critical to every chaplain or leader. When a person faces a difficult situation beyond normal stresses in day to day life, they will need to be resilient to overcome the obstacle. A resilient person will reach into the “toolbox” and learn to cope with whatever challenge lay in front of them. Having a resilient attitude will allow an individual to overcome a challenging situation and embrace the assigned roles and duties. Spiritual resilience in a chaplain’s life is essential to overcome the challenges that they are exposed in their daily operations. The Bible teaches on the subject of resiliency. In Paul’s First Letter to Timothy, he explains how a leader should be resilient spiritually and physically. This paper will explain the passage found in First Timothy 4:6-11, which deals with resiliency and offers the passage applications to one’s life.
Description
Paul offers his advice to Timothy on the importance of being resilient. He is especially focused on the spiritual resilience of Timothy. According to the Civil Air Patrol, Chaplain Core, spiritual resilience is having four main pillars of strength within yourself. These four pillars correlate with the passage Paul wrote to Timothy. The pillars are: “(1) values – what code or ethical principles guide us through life, define who we are and remind us of our importance. (2) Having perseverance – the ability to keep going when things look bad or difficult. (3) Having perspective – the ability to see things happening in a ‘bigger picture’ so that it becomes a small part of a larger whole to your life. (4) Having purpose – the ability to remember what your goals are and to see that your life is connected to others and to events that make you uniquely important in the world at this particular time.”
The core values of an individual mark the beginning of resilience. In 1 Timothy 4:6, Paul writes, “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed” (1 Timothy 4:6, ESV). At this instance, Paul stresses the need to have strong Christian values. These values can be found in “the words of faith and of the good doctrine.” From the scriptures, it is evident that Paul stresses that Timothy needs to train to develop the core values effectively. Aída Besançon Spencer comments on this writing, “Timothy needs to make sure he himself is nourished or trained and educated. He should regularly “feed” himself by two means: the words of faith and the good doctrine which he followed (4:6). These two phrases appear to be synonymous. Possibly, words of faith refer specifically to summary creeds, and the good doctrine is a broader term which includes all Timothy has taught and done.” From Spencer’s point of view, the only way to develop resilience is if a leader will train and be educated on the various core values and beliefs.
Paul goes on to encourage Timothy to persevere in any circumstance. This is the second pillar of spiritual resilience. Paul writes, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7–8). The scripture highlights that Paul was aware that Timothy experienced various challenges in his operations. He does not want Timothy to give in to false teachers; rather, he wants him to stay on the course of godliness. Paul wanted Timothy to be persistent in his training in godliness to overcome the difficulties he faced. According to Albert Barnes, Paul wrote this to Timothy so he would not occupy all of his time and attention to false teaching, but rather cultivate righteousness, and seek to become more holy.
The third pillar of spiritual resilience is the ability to have perspective. Paul writes to Timothy, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:9-10). Paul, in this instance, encourages Timothy to perceive the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Through the work of Jesus, Christ Timothy can be assured that God will fulfill his promises. It is through having such a perspective that Timothy can build resilience. In verse 4:10, Paul highlights for Timothy the bigger picture that God is the judge of all. He is encouraging Timothy to realize this to persevere in his desire to please God in his words and actions because Timothy’s ultimate judge is God, who is living and a savior.
Furthermore, the word Paul chose to use for strive in verse ten is Agonizomai. This was a word used when talking about athletics. It means, “contend for a prize, especially in the public games, or fight.” The Greeks and Romans would do everything they could while training to give them an upper hand to contend and win a prize. However, Timothy needed to realize that his prize was not dependent on a severe mortal judge, but on the merciful living Saviour, who favored his people.
The final pillar of spiritual resiliency is having a purpose. This is the ability to remember what your goals are and the importance of them. Paul speaks of this purpose, concisely. He writes, “Command and teach these things” (1 Tim. 4:11). The scripture outlines that Timothy is mandated to ensure that he passes Christ’s message alongside the core doctrines of the church. Paul made it clear that Timothy’s goal is to instruct the church and explain all of his knowledge. Paul uses the word didasko, which has a causative sense, to cause to learn. Spencer goes on to note, “it implies not only explanation but repetition because the ancients, including the Jews, taught mainly by repetition.” Barnes sums up the idea of having purpose well writing, “A minister of the gospel is solemnly bound to teach that there is a sense in which God is the Savior of all men. He is just as much bound to teach this, as he is that only those will be saved who believe. It is a glorious truth-and it is a thing for which a man should unceasingly give thanks to God that he may go and proclaim that he has provided salvation for all and is willing that all should come and live.”
Prescription
As a chaplain and spiritual leader, it is important to apply the pillars of resiliency, as Paul to Timothy highlighted. The first step to applying resiliency is understanding one’s core values and beliefs and recognizing the source of such values. Getting core values from the scriptures will help in leading one in the ways as outlined by God. These values come through training oneself in the Words of faith and the good doctrine (1 Tim. 4:6). Paul stresses that as a chaplain, Bible study should be central to your daily life. The more one trains themselves in His Word; the more resilient they will become. This is because they can always keep to the core values they have developed through the word and the doctrines.
Furthermore, for one to become more resilient, they must focus on persevering in any situation. Paul stressed this to Timothy. He knew there would be a constant battle in his life, and he needed to overcome these challenges. Timothy had to focus on training himself for godliness. This training in godliness helped him to be a resilient leader. Today, the world is full of false teachings and challenges, just as Timothy had faced in his time. One must focus on training themselves to overcome the challenges they face. Physical training is important, but Paul is stressing the importance of training in godliness. He says training of godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and the life to come (1 Tim. 4:8). This training will help one to persevere in all situations and help to make one more resilient in their duties.
It is crucial to have a personal perspective as a requirement for achieving resiliency. A good perspective should be based on the work of Jesus Christ on an individual and all mankind. True leaders will build his perspective from the scriptures because it is the word of God. When it is understood that God is over all things, and His love is immeasurable, it truly changes the perspective on life. When a problem arises, and one keeps their eyes on Christ, it is easier to withstand and recover from the challenge.
A resilient leader also has a clear understanding of his purpose in life. Having a purpose allows an individual to focus on the main goal despite the challenges they face to achieve the outcome. Paul tells Timothy to command and teach these things (1 Tim. 4:11). That was the purpose of Timothy’s life, and if this remained his focus, he would have no choice but to be resilient through the difficult time. This is true for any believer. Jesus gave the purpose for a believer’s life, and it aligns with what Paul encourages Timothy to do. Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20). Therefore, one must remain focused on this purpose for their life, and resiliency will come naturally.
Conclusion
The scriptures have highlighted that resilience is vital in the life of a chaplain or a leader. It is also clear that having a purpose and recognizing the work of Jesus Christ forms part of developing resiliency as a leader. Understanding the four pillars of resiliency helps one to understand the requirements to be resilient. Paul’s guidelines to Timothy can be helpful to any leader, and above all, trusting in God will help one attain resiliency.