An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

March Chaplain's Reflections

  • Published
  • By 1 Lt. Christina Pittman
  • 169FW
"I am running hard to the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition." 1 Corinthians 9:26 (The Message)

In the art of being an intentional leader, there is an inner drive which mysteriously supersedes circumstances in one's environment. This drive to overcome obstacles rises out of having an intentional mind, body and spiritual strength. When a leader faces resistance, he or she uses all three components to rise above the circumstance, and respond intentionally instead of reacting. Excellent leaders learn to not succumb to the environment they are facing, but adapt and overcome instead.

We are all running a race right now in our individual lives and as a Guard family. This past Phase II ORE training showed me how crucial the responses to alarms and alerts are in a real world combat situation; it is life and death. I watched great leadership skills shine and rise to the surface to meet the challenges.

Individual resiliency is vital and each one of us has the opportunity to run with endurance by not neglecting the mind, body or spirit. How we cope and balance our individual lives adds or takes away from our effectiveness in our Guard life.

I am challenged, as I hope you will be, to find methods to strengthen the whole self through personal courage and resiliency. Obtain the Lord's inexhaustible reservoir of resources for our taking. God promises to not let us down. Assess your mental, physical and spiritual condition and ask for help with any deficiencies. Then watch as characteristics of a courageous leader rise to the top. We all need to stay alert and in top condition. Thank God we do not run this race alone!