The Beautiful Spirit Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 2
M
y husband serves God and country as a chaplain in
the United States Army. He’s been in this ministry
for almost five years--eighteen months in the reserves and
about three years on active duty--and unless God shows us
otherwise, we believe this will be His ministry for us in the
foreseeable future. We love army life, and we believe God
has uniquely fitted us for this ministry. I, however, was not
always so happy at the thought of the chaplaincy.
Over five years ago, when my husband found himself without
a ministry job due to unexpected circumstances, he broached
the subject of the chaplaincy with me. I was not at all excited.
My first thoughts ran along the lines of long separations and
life-endangering situations. I knew in my head (as I’d known
for as long as I could remember) that the best and safest place
for one of God’s children is in His will, but it was difficult for
my emotions and trust to fall into place with this knowledge.
My husband assured me he wouldn’t pursue the chaplaincy
until I had peace about it, and he was true to his word. After
eight months of odd jobs and candidating at several churches
(that asked my husband to come aboard, but neither of us
believed God to be calling us to those specific ministries),
I finally faced the possibility that my unwillingness was
perhaps the reason my husband didn’t have a job. So after
talking it through, we decided to start down the path of the
chaplaincy.
When we made the decision to go for it, I again was giving
assent in my head, but my emotions were still far behind.
I still wasn’t excited; on the contrary, I was actually very
fearful. At the time, we were told it should be a quick process,
but we ran into a few hiccups along the way that could not
be fixed without the factor of time. While I wasn’t thrilled
on each occasion it was revealed that more time was needed,
I can see in hindsight that this was part of God’s kindness to
me. A wise person once told me not to miss the lessons God
has for me on the journey by trying to rush ahead of Him
to the destination. This is such sound wisdom! It took about
eighteen months for my husband to fulfill the requirements
and become a chaplain; however, he started in the reserves,
and it was approximately eighteen more months till he was
put on active duty (which was the goal from the beginning).
Those could have been three miserable years; and while they
were not easy, God used them for our good. By the time my
husband made it to active duty, I was raring and ready to go!
God used those three years--the journey, if you will--to mold
me into the wife, mother and lady He needed me to be for the
destination He had for me and us.
We’re almost three years into active duty, and I made the
statement to my husband about a year ago that in some
ways I feel like I’m on vacation. This isn’t because it’s all
fun and games or even easy. There have been many difficult
times and situations, but God has been faithful. God used the
preparations of our not-too-easy journey to the chaplaincy to
give me a love for army life and ministry and a confidence
that goes beyond head knowledge that this truly is His will
for our family.
Don’t Waste
The Journey
AUDREY BETH ROLAND
The Beautiful Spirit is dedicated to encouraging women to apply the truths of the Spirit-filled life. For a one-year subscription (four
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2 The Beautiful Spirit
Spring 2015