The article, “Guard Your Heart” by Pastor
Aaron Gray addresses the issue of guarding one’s heart and what that
practically looks like.He begins
by defining this action by the act of one “paying
careful attention to thoughts, emotions, desires, and choices (emphasis
added).”He supplements this
definition by exploring what the bible says concerning the heart.In Matthew 12:34 and in John 1:12-13,
the respectable authors state that one’s words and choices flow out of this
part of each of us.In Ezekiel
36:26, Jesus tells us that He saves our hearts.
Gray
then states two possible traps one may find him or herself in when it comes to
this sensitive area of guarding one’s heart.There are two extremes; self-protection or carelessness that
one.He concludes with a reassuring
statement of truth stating that Jesus does not leave us all alone to do the
hard work.He guards our hearts as
it states in Philippians 4:7
How this relates to me
I think that you guard your heart by
guarding your mind.Thoughts that
you dwell on may be expressed through actions, which become habits, which lead
to developing a character that describes a lifestyle.The old saying is true in that “you are what you eat,” meaning that you become what you take in during your life. Although one cannot control what
thoughts enter one’s mind, he or she can control how long he or she dwells or
expels it.The bible describes our
heart in a variety of ways.It
says that the Lord knocks at our heart’s door and that the devil crouches as a
lion.(Revelation 3:20). Therefore there is always someone trying
to occupy your heart, meaning there is no neutrality.(1 Corinthians 10:21) 1 John 2:3-6 tells us how to guard the
door to our heart by walking in the light and obeying our Creator and
Lord.
Through
contemplation, I thought to myself why would someone not guard his or her
heart.Three reasons come to mind,
the person may think he or she is not worth it, not worthy, or oblivious of the ramifications of not guarding one's heart.First, one may think that taking the
necessary precautions are simply not worth the effort in the end.They have a relative concept of
immediate happiness rather than sustained joy.Second, they may not believe the truth that he or she is
worthy; that his or her heart is worth being protected, guarded, and
saved.Someone may be so wounded
that they loose their self-worth.Finally, someone may just not know how or why to guard their heart and
are therefore not taking proactive steps to carefully protect such a precious
part of him or herself.
The
way to put this into action is to search out our Lord’s heart and by getting
into His truth; we will be able to guard our hearts with Jesus Christ.
How this relates to counseling
When
one enters into a counseling session, he or she is beginning a relationship with
another person who has hurts and feelings all the same.The client may be very vulnerable with
the counselor that may present itself with a possibly compromising situation.A client must be aware of his or her
surroundings and be conscientious of how his or her actions may be taken by the
client. A counselor must guard his or her heart in order to maintain a balance between professionalism and sincere genuine concern.
The soldier's conscience goes through several
formations and reformations throughout his or her life, especially if the
soldier is a Christian. The challenge is not making it through basic training and being reinforced with the idea that destroying the enemy is good, and that blood makes the green grass
grow; the challenge is not shoving cold, sharp steel into green, life-sized, human silhouettes while shouting “Kill!” at the top of his or her lungs. The soldier’s
conscience is challenged once the killing of the enemy has occurred and upon having
to transition back to acting like a loving, Christian civilian.
I am writing to inform that you as the counselor or lay-counselor
can help a current soldier or a veteran when they cannot make peace with their
conscience. This blog is not intended to diagnose or cure any crisis
or trauma relating to combat or training. Hopefully when you finish reading
this, your view of the military member will be more complete and you'll have a better understanding on how to begin treatment for a Service Member (SM).
The Article from Hel...arvard
My decision to review this article
was largely a mistake. It was written in conjunction with the Harvard Law
School and it discusses how the Nuremberg trials relate to the modern day
soldiers’ conscious efforts to remain
ethical, and it eventually discusses how the information
presented should be reviewed in schools. This deep-sea roller coaster of a ride
opened several cans of worms and I ended up calling in air support (aka
phoned-a-friend) to get those slimy things off of me. Nevertheless, I made it through and it gave me a more whole picture for writing something relevant and scholarly.
The Oath of No Life
I have raised my right hand about
four times now repeating the “Oath of Enlistment” In this statement, I am affirming that,” I will obey the orders of the
President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over
me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.” I am
stating that I will obey the lawful
orders of those appointed over for however many years I signed for. This implies that I should keep my head
straight and ensure that I do what is right in my conscience, according to the seven Army values, even in the face of
adversity, confusion, or chaos—in the face of war. Sounds daunting. Dare I say, you have no idea?
A True Story from 35,000 ft
I met a soldier on an airplane
while I was coming home from a tour (deployment) overseas. He was a 31E, Army
Prison Guard. We had some time to kill (no pun intended), and we started
shooting the breeze (again…). He told me of a young soldier prisoner he met
while working in the Disciplinary Barracks (DBs), the Army term for Army prison.
This young infantry soldier and his small unit was patrolling (looking for the bad guys) in Iraq
and they came under fire (got attacked). The unit could not figure out how
the enemy knew of their position, as they were hunkered down and being
attacked from several angles. His Lieutenant spotted a Local National (LN) with a radio and determined that this man was pointing out this young
soldier’s unit’s position and providing intelligence (vital information) to the insurgents (the bad guys). The Lieutenant ordered the young soldier to shoot and kill the man
with the radio.
The Rules of Engagement
in Iraq at that time were nebulous and I have suspicion that that young soldier
gave the Lieutenant a short second thought, but followed through with that
order dutifully. Later on an investigation was held and the Army determined that shooting
the LN with the radio was unlawful and the young soldier was charged for a
crime in a Military Court (military trial). The young soldier told the
court that the Lieutenant was to blame. The Lieutenant said that he was under
stress and basically denied the order saying, “It’s not my fault”. The court rebutted the young soldier, saying
that he should not have followed the order because
it was unlawful. This young soldier is now serving at least ten years in an Army prison
in Kansas for following an unlawful order. Did this soldier’s conscience kick
in and did he ignore it, or was there a more serious conflict going on in his
head?
When I heard this story I wanted
to cry, hit something, and ETS (get out of the Army) immediately, but I did
none of these. If you take nothing else away from this story, please know that
this happens more often than it should but that most soldiers to do not meet the end of their
career this way.
Most soldiers serve their time in
their units and transition to civilian life. The transition is the hardest part
of being a soldier. It has been the most challenging for me and for every comrade I have spoken with about it. We are no longer praised for calling running cadences on base that shout, “Kill, kill, kill!”, or
chant how napalm sticks to kids' bellies and ribs. That would display signs of anti-social tendencies,
according to society, and we would be shunned.
Soldiers are not deprogrammed to
deal with civilian life the way they are reprogrammed in basic training to deal
with military life and war. When the Army is finished with a Soldier, the
Soldier will complete a checklist of information, mostly to cover the Army’s hide
in the case something happens to the newly transitioned civilian, but perhaps
also in and an honest effort to help the soldier transition. The system is not quite up to par. The five components of the immaterial self are easily hidden under
the Army Combat Uniforms (ACUs) and there is no in-depth check-the-block for
the health of the immaterial components. So what are we as counselors to do
about it?
How to Help a Service Member in Transition
I am speaking from ten years of personal
experience and from ten years of hearing other service members when I say that a listening ear goes a LONG way. Service members, soldiers, are
taught a different set of moral values and are experts at maintaining cognitive
dissonance in day-to-day life and in an ever-changing environment. The ability to morph is what
kept me alive and it has kept other service members alive in war, but it no one walks away from war unscathed. Here are a few tidbits to help counselors help veterans
or current service members:
Most of the time, soldiers feel as though they are just a number--easily replaced. Ensure you get to know the soldier or veteran and
ensure they feel comfortable with you.
A soldier may have an issue with authority
for a little while, for whatever reason. Make sure the soldier knows your
credentials but do not give them false information, especially information to make yourself look more qualified. They will have the courage
to call “BS” on you and walk out, no matter the kind of organization you or another counselor is associated with.
If you don’t love the soldier,
the soldier will see it and it is possible to further wound them. Some
counselors just don’t have the passion or the heart to help soldiers. In my
opinion, it’s entirely likely that God just didn’t put a particular love for service
members in some people, and it’s OK. Recognize this early on, though, to avoid
further hurt, and refer as needed.
More Resources For the Expansion of Your Knowledge Bank
If you are interested in gaining
more knowledge of how the conscience affects soldiers’ performances, read On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society (2009)
by Dave Grossman or watch the Australian movie, “Beneath Hill 60” directed by Jeremy Sims (2010). Both are great resources for the history
of the soldier’s conscience and the prevalence of the warrior’s burden across
cultures.
