Most service members think about spiritual matters during deployment. We take stock of our lives while in the face of death and danger. This time of examination and spiritual questioning is important. Rarely do we stay the same afterward. This time of spiritual searching will frequently send service members in one of two distinct directions. Many gain a stronger relationship with God. Others may question their beliefs and feel spiritually empty.
For those who may be in the later category, I want you to know that it is normal to ask questions about our faith. Spiritual matters are important downrange, when we have returned home, and as we reintegrate into our communities. Everyone is impacted differently by war. We have endured different levels of strife and conflict. We also have different levels of spiritual understanding when we enter the combat zone and when we leave. Regardless of your location or when you served, your faith will be different when you come home.
No matter if your faith has grown or shrunk, it is important that you continue moving forward in your Christian walk. Do not stand still in your faith. 1 Timothy 4:7b-8 shares, “rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
Every believer, civilian or veteran, needs a spiritual fitness routine. Like physical fitness, spiritual fitness must be practiced. While it is different from going to the gym and lifting weights, the concept is the same. We need to exercise our spiritual muscles in order to grow our faith.
Spiritual fitness can take place in many different ways:
- prayer
- reading scripture
- attending worship services
- seeking spiritual counsel
- fellowship
- meditation
- journaling
This is a small, but important sample of spiritual exercises that you can try. Feel free to try one and gradually combine others to your list. You can also participate in these activities with your family, friends, and a Christian community of believers, adding a greater dimension to your spiritual fitness by increasing your connection to other people.
Spiritual fitness is important to everyone. It draws us closer to God, forms us in the image of Jesus Christ, and allows us to strengthen our faith. Your spiritual fitness also affects your ability to deal with stress and times of crisis. Multiple studies determined that veterans who have an active spiritual practice report fewer and less severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Those who struggled with their faith or felt alienated from God had more severe PTSD symptoms.
Spiritual fitness also reduces anxiety, loneliness, and depression. Studies have also documented how people with a weekly pattern of attending worship services live longer, are healthier, and recover from illness more quickly.
Veterans and service members can take comfort in the transforming power of God. No matter where or when you were deployed, God still cares about you. No matter what you saw downrange or what you did, you can have a redeemed life.
When life seems full of despair, the Lord shares purpose, meaning, forgiveness, and acceptance. Continue to move forward in your faith. Train yourself to be the godly and righteous person you were called to become.
God Squad 
Dry Summers Make Strong Trees and Better Christians
Posted in Christian Living, News & Commentary, Spiritual Practices, tagged chaplain, christian, faith, hardship, kansas, pastor, post traumatic growth, post traumatic stress disorder, resilience, resiliency, trials on August 22, 2014|
A Kansas summer can feel horrible. It often has searing heat, strong wind, and humidity that makes us all crave air conditioning or an ice-cold lemonade. Our conditions are harsh and demanding every year. These challenging elements try us and yet there are old trees standing in every community.
The heat, wind, and drought like conditions allow certain trees to develop a strong root system. One where they dig down into fertile soil and become an anchor when storms, tornadoes, and gales unleash their worst across Kansas. The trials, torment, and tough times produce strong trees that can survive truly horrible conditions.
People are the same way. No one desires a season of pain, anguish, or torment in life, but it often finds us. This tough season of life is often seen in the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a serious illness, financial difficulty, a broken relationship, terrorist attacks, war, and other traumatic events. These are all examples of very challenging life experiences that hurt when they happen, but can produce stronger roots.
James writes to the Jerusalem church in verses 2-4 sharing:
While it does not feel good when it happens, trials can ultimately yield endurance and strength to our faith and our life. When life seems dark and difficult, be like David and pray to God for strength. When you are scared, reach for your Bible and take comfort knowing that God will not forsake you. When you grieve, know that Christ also wept with hurt and loss as He consoled a community of mourners. Endure. Stay strong. Keep your faith. Maintain your trust in the Lord and you will find a new season of life through Christ.
Science and psychology has finally caught up with this lesson from James. Study after study now document resilience and post traumatic growth for people who have weathered trauma and a hard season of life.
While trauma can impair people in many ways, it turns out that there is routinely a higher percentage of people who demonstrate the ability to bounce back and learn from a hard season of life. And yes, they are often people of faith who rely on their religion, faith, or spiritual practice for healing and recovery. Today, faith is often embraced as a central and beneficial means of coping with tragedy.
Consider how trees survive in England. The climate is wet, damp, and dreary. Spend a week there and you will pray to see the sun. The soil is often moist because of the frequent rain showers. This climate prevents trees from establishing deep roots in the soil. The root system instead stays near the topsoil, hardly ever going deep into the ground. A strong wind storm will often topple multiple trees in England provoking a community clean up in villages across the country. Trees that have not been tested with hardship do not produce deep roots. They are instead the first to fall when the storms of life come their way.
While summer conditions feel bad now they make deep roots, bring hope for tomorrow, and deliver a new season of life.
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