Wisdom from Patton: When I was in a bookstore near Camp Shelby, Mississippi some time back, I picked up another book on Patton. Like a lot of soldiers, I have read shelves of books on military history, of various battles, and myriad campaigns. But the older I get the more I tend to relish biographies. Anyway, in this particular book on Patton, he (Patton) was quoted as saying, “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom.” 

Connection: A buzzword today in military chaplaincy, mental health, behavioral health, and other related areas is this: resilience. It’s so often said in my circles, I almost wish the thesaurus was bigger for it to garner some synonyms. But Patton put his finger on it via his one-sentence zinger. 

Like scores of others, I’m certified as a Master Resilience Trainer, trained in Spiritual Wellness, and of course in my own theological background. But the bottom line is this: Resilience relates to the foundation of what it means to be human and how we relate to the transcendent. Otten in our Army literature, the soldier’s wellness measurements are divided into four main areas: 1) Spiritual; 2) Physical; 3) Social; and 4) Emotional. 

I have no issue with that particular division. I would only add that these areas only make sense when we recognize that they exist because they are designed, and design presupposes a designer. To discount, ignore, minimize, or obfuscate the theological reality that pervades every worldview undermines the very resilience we are pursuing. Put plainly, there is always a God of the system in every paradigm for understanding human psychology. The very word psychology literally means the “language” (logos/λόγος) of the “soul” (psuche/Ψυχή). 

Encouragement: Solomon penned, “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Pr 24:16 ESV). Resilience, bouncing back and continuing on to fight another day, getting back in the fight, etc. has a moral component, in other words, and that moral component is inseparable from the designer of transcendental morals, the one who is goodness himself, the Alpha and Omega (Rev 22:13).