My Chaplain Philosophy

By Sonya Lynn Campbell

It is my personal belief that God allows us to go through hardships in life in order to continue to perfect us for His glory. I have had many hardships over the years; I am far from perfect though. These hardships have given me experience in facing things that others I may encounter are facing. As I begin to think about my approach to being a Chaplain I am uncertain about how God will use me in this capacity. My personal plan is to be open to what He has planned for me. Jeremiah 29:11 tells me He has a plan for my life, therefore; I must trust that it is good even when it includes hardships.

God has left much mystery around why He has allowed tough things to come into our lives. It is not because He doesn’t care about us; nor is it because we do not matter. As a parent we often direct things in our children’s lives without explanation. “I’m the parent, that’s why” has often come out of my mouth. As I look back on things in my life I have to trust that my Heavenly Father knows what is best and that His ways are truly higher than mine. Another parenting phrase I’ve heard is “You’ve made your bed, now lie in it.” This brings to mind the choices I’ve made that brought me to a hardship. God gave us free will to make those choices. I imagine Him watching us hoping we’ll make the right choice; His heartbreaking as we turn down a road leading to destruction. On the other hand, His heart filled with joy as we choose wisely or return to Him.

As a Christian, it is not my duty to dictate what choices are right for others, but rather to be there for them no matter the outcome of those choices. This is not always easy; it means approaching others with no judgment. In Matthew chapter 7 it says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, NIV) My approach to helping others should be one of love not judgement. Obviously not all situations that I’ll find myself in as a Chaplain will be a result of someone’s poor choices, but some will. No matter what the circumstances I must remain willing to look past the possible choices to the broken person needing love. A passage of scripture that has been in the back of my mind since memorizing it as a child is Philippians 2: 1-11. Here Paul lays out a philosophy, so to speak, of how we should relate to others. Verse 3 and 4 says this, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourself, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Having a humble attitude is important when working with others. It is my personal belief that we are all but one choice away from a bad situation. That situation could be homelessness, addiction, sin, or anything that causes us and/or others heartache.

When helping others there are questions I ask myself. “How would I want to be treated or helped if this was me?” “What if this was my mother, grandmother, daughter, etc?” Often what is needed is a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or the physical needs met such as coffee or food. Humbling oneself enough to be the servant is not always easy. People do not need to hear what I have to say or my opinions. I am reminded of 1st Corinthians 13:1, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” My goal as a Chaplain will to be love and not be the clanging cymbal. If I can remember that when I am serving others it will help most. It doesn’t mean that I can’t offer comfort or words of kindness, but rather that sometimes silence is more beneficial. Silence is hard; we strive to fill the void.

When it is time to fill the void we should allow God to fill it. This will involve us being in the right place with God ourselves. God hears our prayers, but it is much more effective when we are walking in fellowship with Him. This means that I need to spend time with God daily. The Psalmist David said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” in Psalms 119:105. All throughout scripture we read of how we need to meditate on God’s Word. If we want to be a comfort to those around us we must be putting God’s Word into our minds. We also need to be communicating with God. I love that I was taught that God is there and wanting to talk to us. Prayer is not something that needs to be scheduled or planned out. Not to say that having a routine time to pray is bad, but rather that we can approach the throne of grace at any time. I often find my best prayer time is in the car. This was quite often how I would spend my time in traffic. I was also taught that God cares about the littlest details. I believe that having proper communication with God through prayer and reading the Bible is the foundation of having a successful Chaplain’s ministry.

In the past year, I have had the opportunity to minister to people in an unofficial capacity. Sitting at the hospital in the middle of the night with a mother as she begs God to spare her child’s life is not easy. My child was only a few months older than hers. What did she need from me at that moment? She needed to tell the story, so I listened. She needed a hug, so I hugged her. She needed me to get stuff out of her car in the parking garage, that is what I did. It wasn’t my place to judge or criticize her for not being involved in church or making poor life choices. It was my place to offer her the love of Christ unconditionally. That night she was loved, and I am sure that she was grateful I didn’t shove the Bible down her throat. The thing is that she knows that I am a Christian; she knows I pray for her, I’ve told her so; she knows that at any moment she can come to me. I didn’t have to preach to her that night to be a witness for Christ.

There may be times that the person I am working with wants to know about God. I will not back away from those moments. I will be prepared to share what God has done through His Word. I foresee times when I ask if I can pray and share a scripture that God has laid on my heart. So even though I speak of silence and meeting physical needs I know that there will times I will speak up and share. When I got saved as a child God sent His Spirit to live in me. By developing my relationship I find myself more sensitive to be directed by the Holy Spirit. I know that this will deepen as I minister as a Chaplain