Living Your Faith in the Army

By Chaplain (Capt.) Matthew Oliver, USARECFebruary 14, 2014

FORT KNOX, Ky., (Feb. 11, 2014) --As an Army chaplain my non-military friends and family regularly ask me, "How do you do it? How do you hold on to your beliefs, your convictions, your faith while working in an environment like the Army?"

It is interesting for me to engage them and address their misconceptions about military life. Nevertheless, their questions offer a good challenge to us all: "How do you live out your faith in the U.S. Army?"

Obviously, this is a "how" question. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it. Then we will have the foundation to address the practical implications of our faith.

Every one of us has thoughts and opinions about how we got here, why we are here, and where we are going. Our belief system, known as our worldview, is the paradigm or lens we use to interpret life. Have you ever thought about what you believe and how you came to believe it?

I remember a time early on in my marriage when my wife offered to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I'd had a rough day at work and a little comfort food would go a long way.

I felt like a little child as I was preparing myself for a nice PB & J with a cold glass of milk.

But then everything went wrong. My wife pulled out the toaster. Trying to remain calm and not give away my building disappointment, I asked -- or more likely accused -- "I thought you were making me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." My wife smiled and said, "I am."

I should have stopped, sat down, and drank some water. Here my lovely wife was taking the time to make me a sandwich. I should be grateful for this loving act. But no, this was all wrong. I could not let it go and out it came, "If you are making a PB & J, then you don't need a toaster." What was I thinking?

When I finally sat down and received my first toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I was amazed. It was excellent. The way the peanut butter is warm and melts into the bread, it took comfort food to a completely new level. I think the best part of the story was how my wife exposed the roots my expectations.

She asked me two questions. "So, what do you think?"

With my mouth full, I responded, "Wow, this is really good."

The second question was, "And why were you giving me such grief about how I was making it?"

Before my mind truly engaged, before I realized what I was about to step in with no situational awareness, I answered, "My mom didn't do it that way."

I sat there with the deer in the headlights look in disbelief of what just came out of my mouth.

My wife - well, she raised her eyebrow, gave me a half smile, and nodded her head. My worldview for PB & J sandwiches was set by my mom, I had no idea.

Community - in relationship with others - is the best place for us to challenge our worldview. As we listen to one another, we find out that there are different perspectives to life. As we strive to truly understand fellow team members, we can see greater value in one another.

This growth process solidifies our convictions, helping us search out what we believe and why we believe it, creating a strong foundation and confidence in how we then live out our particular beliefs.