Helen Keller had a very interesting view of
security... But then a deaf-blind achiever would likely have a radical
view. Most of her other views would be radically different than most
of ours but in this quote there is much stated that states the position
of many of us. That last sentence very closely aligns with my own
opinion... "Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all."
That which we
believe to be safety and security usually is not either safety nor
security when we reach the bottom line. My best understanding of
safety came when I read, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord,
alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust." (Psalms 4:8,
Amplified Bible)... "The horse (your vehicle for travel) is prepared
for the day of battle, but deliverance and victory are of the Lord."
(Proverbs 21:31, Amplified Bible)
We were designed to have and experience safety/security as human beings
in this world... But the full connotation includes a right spiritual
attitude and position.
We are trained to practice safety. Experience teaches us what is
dangerous and destructive and teaches us to avoid those things as best
we are able... But we are called to do a job... To accomplish certain
things in this world with our lives. What we have dedicated our lives
to accomplishing is peace and safety for as many other people in our
world as it is possible for us to achieve. Sometimes, in order to
achieve this goal, we must do things that place us into a degree of
danger and destruction. When we in our responsibilities to duty must
take these actions we do it by something called faith and
experience... We do the best we can with what we have where we are and
leave the rest to God or whomever else is responsible.
When we report for duty we do not carry a burden of worry about what
might happen. When we receive an assignment we do not go there
worrying about what might happen. When we must face an adversary we
perform as trained and practiced... We do not worry about the outcome.
We are not foolhardy about safety. Neither do we fret and worry about
safety... But we must go places that others run away from... We take
actions that freeze others in immobilizing fear... We are Peace
Keepers and we are Peace Makers. We have concluded that to be our
calling in this world. We suffered much training and experience to
arrive at where we are today. We paid a great price to be in this
body of ready warriors. We are for peace and safety. We are against
disorder and chaos.
For this discussion, it matters not whether you are alone, paired up,
in a squad, a platoon, a company, a battalion... It matters not
whether you are walking, riding or enclosed in a vehicle, ship or air
craft. What does matter is that you are there, on call, on duty,
ready, willing, able, committed and dedicated. In most cases the
action will come when you are alone or in a very small group. In all
cases you are playing a searching, waiting game even if you are moving
about. If you survive and do this job long enough you develop another
set of senses. Your surroundings are constantly being processed by all
of your senses and they will tell you something you need to know so
that you can search it out and take care of it.
You look at a car and you know there is something wrong. You look at a
scene and you know that there is something wrong. You walk into a
situation and all of your senses suddenly alert and the air around you
becomes electric. All of these things cause you to engage your
attention even more closely to find the cause of the alert.
Call it a gut feeling... Call it a sixth sense... Call it
intuition... Call it other things. NO matter what you call it, it
brings you to alert and gives you an edge... If you are sensitive to
the alert you can see more quickly... You can react more quickly...
You get the job done quicker, more effectively and have a better chance
of survival and success.
I have remembered some of my experiences of the past and recalled how
things came out well because I was trained and then used the training
to develop a new set of knowledge that kept me ahead of the people with
whom I had to interact. I learned some lessons the hard way and
developed survival techniques because by Grace I had survived. In
those lessons I learned the hard way I had no safety. There was no
reasonable explanation of why I survived other than Grace. Sometimes I
was dealing with just one person... Sometimes several... Sometimes it
was a crowd. Sometimes I was on foot... Sometimes in a car...
Sometimes in a building. People have tried to kill me and by all
factual accounts should have succeeded, but they did not succeed. My
worst injuries have been just two small scratches.
I can see the past with great clarity. Grace is the only explanation
of why I am still here. Grace is God's unmerited, unearnable, care and
favor. I still have something to do.
Make no mistake about it, I have learned from every experience. I
practice the very best techniques that I have learned and developed.
Safety and procedure make situations turn out more favorably that they
would otherwise. I am all for safety and procedure. I am an
instructor in safety and survival techniques. You can never learn too
much nor can you ever be too well prepared... But life is designed to
be lived in happiness, joy and peace. These attributes do not exist
where fear is in control.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven
and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power
and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and
self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified Bible)
This is the goal of our teaching and training for us. It is also God's
goal for us!
We are here for the good of those people who want
to live in peace and safety...
" LET EVERY
person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities. For
there is no authority except from God [by His permission, His
sanction], and those that exist do so by God's appointment.
Therefore
he who resists and sets himself up against the authorities resists what
God has appointed and arranged [in divine order]. And those who
resist
will bring down judgment upon themselves [receiving the penalty
due
them].
For
civil authorities are not a terror to [people of] good conduct, but
to
[those of] bad behavior. Would you have no dread of him who is
in
authority? Then do what is right and you will receive his approval and
commendation.
For
he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong,
[you should
dread him and] be afraid, for he does not bear and wear the sword for
nothing. He is God's servant to execute His wrath (punishment,
vengeance) on the wrongdoer.
Therefore
one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath and escape
punishment, but also as a matter of principle and for the sake of
conscience."
(Romans 13:1-5, Amplified Bible)
The power behind Peace Keepers was created to
bless those living by principle, by good conscience and peaceable. It
was also designed to stop those resisting the Authority and not living
properly. Peace Keepers are Ministers of Rightness but we must be
under authority ourselves.
The requirement of having knowledge tops the
list for Peace Keepers... Followed by courage, honesty, and whatever
else makes a good person and a good Peace Keeper. A Peace Keeper must
be a self starter and disciplined. A Peace Keeper must
know the job well and must do it well no matter what
anyone else does. "The few who do are the envy of those
who only watch." Sometimes envy is accompanied by fear and
distrust... But we still must do the best job possible in whatever
circumstance in which we work, no matter with whom we must work.
I am a Christian sold out to Christ and
Father... Yet I must work with fellow officers who do not agree with
my system of beliefs. Both the Authority system and my system of
beliefs require me to do the best that I am capable of doing in and
with any assignment given to me. I can work with anyone because I have
these systems giving me a standard of conduct... And because of my
commitment as a Peace Keeper I am also required to do everything that
is necessary to achieve the best possible results even if I must injure
or endanger the life of a person who will not submit to authority and
becomes a threat to me or to any other person. Peace Keepers are
authorized to do whatever it takes to stop breaches of the peace and
restore the peace and to use whatever amount of force is necessary to
achieve this goal... But to use only that amount of
force necessary to gain success and no more.
Officers who did not understand how my system of
beliefs worked used to wonder what I would do if they were to be in
trouble and need physical assistance by the use of force and I was the
only one available to assist. I would tell them when we began to work
together that if they were to get into trouble and need assistance that
we would take care of the problem and then we would pray for him... He
was probably going to need it. They always had that question in mind
until they saw me upend hardheaded people and lay them out under my
knee with my flashlight across their necks whenever they tried to
assault an officer or tried to escape. We are not here to be abused by
others with wrong attitudes. We are here to keep the peace and safety
for all of those people who want to live right and peaceably.
Peace Keepers, Thank you for all of the efforts
you have expended for the safety and welfare of all the rest of us over
all of these years. This world would be a terrible place in which to
live if it were not for people like you in it.
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" ALWAYS be alert, watchful,
suspicious and wary. Take the very best care of you as you care for
and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as
well as all the rest of you. Your spirit must be strong
for you to be successful.
Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to
encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know
we are reaching someone who reads the message.
We have had a very difficult week with my
daughter, Donna's, wounds. The open raw exposed area is now as large
as my hand because of the swollen areas that had to be opened. It all
looks good except that we have one area in the upper right corner near
the right ribs that is a pocket under the top layer of flesh. The area
is very tender, swollen and secretes a light brown clear fluid into the
open wound through a channel under the flesh and it often soaks the
wound dressing. We saw the surgeon yesterday and have instituted
several new procedures to deal with the soreness, swelling and fluid.
We are also going through a medication adjustment that has been causing
problems for her. Today has been a much better day than the rest of
the week.
As it has always been... So it still is!!!
"VICTORIOUS
WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu
Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!
ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE
OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL
PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!
WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as
you do your job... it means
doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your
faculties to get
the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or
restoring peace...
it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower
or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and
ethics... it means that if
the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible
in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and
leaving the rest to God
or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and
protection of all
the things and people that we hold dear.]
I represent, write for... and give the
credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son
(the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal
Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or
not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace
Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer Virginia Beach Police Dept.,
Senior Chaplain and Chaplain Administrator VBPD,
DCJS Certified Police Instructor,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety) VBPD
757-431-2190, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
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