Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
People are messy. Lives are dirty. And when you work with others, you are bound to get a little muddy yourself.
These are just facts. Without blame or shame, it is important to realize that life is going to be messy. As a Chaplain, I interact with persons of all kinds of identities who are often in the most difficult parts of their lives. I get to join people in their mud and dirt. I also have to be sure to wash myself of the dirt and not bring it unnecessarily into interactions with others.
I also have my own dirtiness and muddiness. Recently, in a mid-unit evaluation of Clinical Pastoral Education, we engaged in reflection and evaluation of our learning and experiences in the program. I shared that I felt like I was stuck in the mud in many ways. When I think about mud, dirt, and clay I remember that God can do miraculous things with these simple substances.
In this Day in the Life of a Resident Chaplain video, I invite you to journey with me in these reflections about my experiences as a Chaplain Resident at a Level One Regional Trauma Hospital.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:26 Checking In
03:18 Evaluating the Program
08:09 Getting Outside into Nature
13:33 Being Stuck in the Mud
16:28 What I bring in the Mud
19:17 How God uses Dirt, Mud, and Clay
22:00 A Final Encouragement
People are messy. Lives are dirty. And when you work with others, you are bound to get a little muddy yourself.
These are just facts. Without blame or shame, it is important to realize that life is going to be messy. As a Chaplain, I interact with persons of all kinds of identities who are often in the most difficult parts of their lives. I get to join people in their mud and dirt. I also have to be sure to wash myself of the dirt and not bring it unnecessarily into interactions with others.
I also have my own dirtiness and muddiness. Recently, in a mid-unit evaluation of Clinical Pastoral Education, we engaged in reflection and evaluation of our learning and experiences in the program. I shared that I felt like I was stuck in the mud in many ways. When I think about mud, dirt, and clay I remember that God can do miraculous things with these simple substances.
In this Day in the Life of a Resident Chaplain video, I invite you to journey with me in these reflections about my experiences as a Chaplain Resident at a Level One Regional Trauma Hospital.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:26 Checking In
03:18 Evaluating the Program
08:09 Getting Outside into Nature
13:33 Being Stuck in the Mud
16:28 What I bring in the Mud
19:17 How God uses Dirt, Mud, and Clay
22:00 A Final Encouragement
