It is not usual for...
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It is not usual for soldiers to assess their commanding officers, but they nevertheless do so in their own way. They know who they would willingly follow into battle and who they would not.
In Canada, a military chaplain sometimes conducts what is called a "Padres Hour." This is generally an informal session that allows a group of soldiers and the chaplain to exchange views and share together in an atmosphere of trust. On one of these occasions a chaplain was trying to encourage a discussion on the qualities of leadership as exemplified in Jesus Christ. The chaplain started by asking the assembled troops what qualities of leadership they valued most in a commanding officer. They listed the following: credibility, honesty, courage, wisdom, experience, and lots more. But the quality that won the unrivalled endorsement of the troops on that day followed these comments of one soldier: "Padre, all of what has been said is good stuff, but what we need more than anything else is someone who really understands what it is to walk in our boots and knows how it feels." What is this quality? Call it caring, call it love, call it whatever you like. When the crunch comes, it counts for everything.
This gave the chaplain a wonderful entry to proclaiming why the Incarnation (God who comes to us as one of us) is such Good News.
-- Fairlie
In Canada, a military chaplain sometimes conducts what is called a "Padres Hour." This is generally an informal session that allows a group of soldiers and the chaplain to exchange views and share together in an atmosphere of trust. On one of these occasions a chaplain was trying to encourage a discussion on the qualities of leadership as exemplified in Jesus Christ. The chaplain started by asking the assembled troops what qualities of leadership they valued most in a commanding officer. They listed the following: credibility, honesty, courage, wisdom, experience, and lots more. But the quality that won the unrivalled endorsement of the troops on that day followed these comments of one soldier: "Padre, all of what has been said is good stuff, but what we need more than anything else is someone who really understands what it is to walk in our boots and knows how it feels." What is this quality? Call it caring, call it love, call it whatever you like. When the crunch comes, it counts for everything.
This gave the chaplain a wonderful entry to proclaiming why the Incarnation (God who comes to us as one of us) is such Good News.
-- Fairlie
