The Power of Forgiveness

Being in the Middle East for a bit over 30 days I've witnessed the power of the sun, the wind and the sand.

At around 0530 am the Sun's powerful rays penetrate your skin.

At around 0830 am the Wind's powerful blows pushes one forward & backward.

At around 1130 am the Sand's powerful grains blind you.

God's forces of nature are really something to marvel!

But I have witnessed another one of God's Forces that is way more powerful than his natural ones: The Power of Forgiveness.

Not too long ago a young solider came to visit me with concerns of distrust for his Non Commissioned Officer (NCO).  The young Private First Class (PFC) shared that he has a very strong value for the NCO creed and expects that his NCO take care of his soldiers before himself.  He also shared he has extremely hurt and angry. 

I could feel his pain, hurt and anger.

After he shared his story, his experience and current feelings towards his NCO, I simply asked, "have you forgiven him?”

The PFC looked down and replied in a very low voice; "No"!

Then he went on to confess; "I know God wants me to forgive him and my relationship with God can’t be right until I forgive this man.”

We shared a bit more then he asked for prayer and we concluded our time together with a promise to talk the next day.

Our time together brought two realities about God to my mind.

First; it is God’s character to forgive.  When the young man looked down I experienced Psalm 51:17a; “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” and when he confessed that his relationship with God was hampered because of unforgiveness I thought about Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:14 when he remarked; “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

When we connected the next day it was like I was speaking with a man who experienced God’s presence for the first time in a long time.

He shared with me his confession to God of being unforgiving and he explained how God took the pain away from his heart and how he has now forgiven his NCO.

I’ve seen a lot of powerful forces here but they all fail in comparison to the power of forgiveness in this young man’s life.

God's powerful force of forgiveness penetrated more than the sun, the wind and the sand could ever pierce, God infiltrated 

his heart.

Is there anyone that you need to forgive? 

Confess, ask God to heal your hurt and experience Him anew today!

Chaplain Brito

The Life Cycle of the 180 Deployment

Today is day 25 of my 180 day deployment and already I've been made aware of certain things pertaining to the life cycle of this deployment!

Serving as a Chaplain I interface with practically everyone on base; every agency & unit within all levels of the command.

From our youngest Airmen to our senior commanders
From those  fresh out of basic to the  Colonel on his 24th deployment. 
From those on this side of the track to those on that side of the tracks

I can confidently say that this ministry takes me into the lives of all types of people that make up our Air Force.

It is because I have this privileged look into their spaces that I have the opportunity to be invited in to their intimate thoughts, hearts and lives.

Despite being here just short of a month; I've learned that most Airmen deployed here are generally somewhere between 3 phases.

Phase 1 (1-2 Months) The Adjustment Period
These may find it difficult to adjust to life here, to establish good working relationships, to deal with the reality that they are not home anymore and can’t be in control of things back in the states.

Phase 2 (2-4 Months) The Rut Period
These have adjusted and accepted life as they know it here. Routine becomes the norm; complacency is the enemy and boredom is often too familiar.

Phase 3 (5-6 Months) The Excitement about Going Home Period
These know that they will be going home in less than 60 days, so they are in a better mood, start to make plans when they get back, start to connect with their unit, family and friends sometimes to the expense of those who they are still serving with who may be in Phase 1/2 because the mission may take a back seat to the excitement of redeploying.

Each Phase has it challenges and may dictate how one deals with adversity.  For example, what may have been a big deal in P1 may not be that big of a deal in P2!

Much of my counseling interaction is solution focused so that the Airman can return to the mission which is always to Fly, Fight & Win!


Sometimes that may be a point of tension for me because I must always remember that I am dealing with a life and not a robot that I need get back on to the assembly line.

So what do I do with all this?  How do I serve His people in this environment who are in these phases of this deployment with love & care as we continue to be the world’s greatest AF? 
 
That’s my mission and my dilemma!

I find comfort in Paul’s words to the Corinthians in 1Cor10:13; when he tells them that "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength but with your testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it"

In context Paul is reminding Christians of the failure of the people of Moses with regards to their lack of trust in God and he encourages them not to make the same mistakes BUT to have faith in God, because he is reliable and is the one that they can find strength in when they are tempted to throw the towel in on their relationship with Him.

Life here is fast and the temptation is to go through someone’s story as fast as I can so that I can get to the next one.  

Lest I think that I can put everyone in a Phase and compartmentalize their hurt and pain
Lest I think that I can process a person like a package to return them to the line
Lest I think that I can do this on my own…

His words must ring in my heart and mind……

"God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength but with your testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it"

Chaplain Brito