What About Him?

I doubt that I would be the first chaplain to admit that military ministry is very competitive. The fact is clear that every chaplain can pray, visit, preach, teach and conduct worship, but not all can be recognized for it. Only one can be stratified as #1. Only one can win a quarterly or annual award and only so few can even have the luxury of being nominated for such awards. Despite our humble and selfless approach to ministry, we still need to "step out" in creativity with our talents and abilities for recognition. It is an unspoken stress in the chaplaincy to be able to "effectively toot one's own horn." If one is not careful this can cause tension, anxiety, suspicion, and jealousy when a colleague is singled out for recognition or wins an award (when I wasn't even nominated). It can even seem more defeating if a supervisor has a tendency to "favor" this colleague because they are "such a great chaplain" that they are always given the "high profile" tasks that leads to even more recognition. I wonder if that is what was always running through Peter's mind as he "battled for position" as one of the twelve disciples. I wonder what he honestly thought about John since the Bible indicates John was, for a lack of a better term, "the favorite" (beloved). I won't lie...I burn a little when a fellow chaplain wins an award, gets a medal, or really shines on an assigned project...especially when I do equal work or even more consistent and successful projects without any recognition, awards, or so much as a "good job, Charles!" I even worry that lack of awards and recognition could lead to me not getting promoted. I seem, like Peter, in John 21:22, always fuming "what about him?" or "what about her?" There is a fear in feeling insignificant towards the natural abilities of others. It is unnerving to feel "outclassed" as well as a day-late and a dollar-short with what I am capable of offering in comparison to what others get recognized for. Jesus sternly warned Peter (in regards to worrying about John), "What is that to you?" The one thing Jesus was most concerned about for Peter was simple: "Follow me!" I need to focus more on advancing my relationship with God who is the source of my career advancement. I need to promote a better focus on my ministry with my Lord who is the One responsible for my military promotion. In regards to my colleagues...it is not a competition. God has designed their steps for a different pace and their abilities for a different approach towards ministry. In that, as with Peter, I stop wasting so much time worrying about what others are doing. Galatians 6:4, "Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won't need to compare himself with someone else."