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CHAPLAIN’S POINT OF VIEW

IAAI Chaplain Jim Shackelford

7 CORE VALUES

As we look at and consider the 7 Core Values we want to look at the first one … Courage. Someone said “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of it.” If we look in the dictionary, we will read courage is “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc.” We can gain a perfect picture of courage in the first responders running into the Twin Towers on that terrible day of 9/11. Not taking regard for themselves, they knew what they had to do as their job in protecting and saving lives. They may have felt fear but they … overcame it. I’d like to briefly discuss Personal Courage, Relational Courage and Moral Courage.

Personal Courage: This is that exceptional courage which the great men and women of history have possessed. This is the type of courage which continues to forge ahead past failures and defeats, with persistent fortitude, until the goal is reached. This may be expressed in your own will and determination to overcome a difficult personal issue, in spite of pass, failure or exigent opposition. The great Winston Churchill said, “Never, never give in.” C.S. Lewis said, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of very courage at the testing point.” That statement is worth thinking on for a while!

Relational Courage: We all experience the opportunity to deal with this every day of our lives. If you’re married and have children, you may be an expert at relational courage. Relational Courage is the ability to address or even confront someone regarding a difficult issue. Relational Courage is the ability and willingness to be the FIRST to humble yourself for the sake of reconciliation. Relational Courage is the strength to say NO to one relationship when one of higher priority is at risk.

Moral Courage: This is a Core Value that MUST be pre-determined long before the test. Have you ever been put in a position of saying no to a situation because of your deep belief or convictions in the form of Moral Values? As morality continues to decline around us, it will require even more courage to stand alone if necessary and then stand up for what is right.

I encourage each of you to take a few moments and think of the three areas of courage we’ve mentioned - Personal, Relational and Moral Courage. Now, I’d like to get a collection of stories so feel free to email me your experience … I give you my word I will not share names but may share the experience as an example of Courage. Mail your response to chaplainjimshackelford@yahoo.com

Next time we will look at the second Value of the 7 …. WISDOM