I am notorious about two things. I tend to make premature judgments about people and I tend to form an opinion of entire groups without sufficient evidence. Those are not noble qualities. I hate to even admit it. I had something happen today that may cure my judgmental leanings for at least awhile.

I heard a speaker today at the Traumas of Law Enforcement training event who was critical of chaplains. He spoke as if we were ill informed prophets who lacked basis pastoral ministry skills. He further implied that we were clueless regarding law enforcement culture and protocol in the case of a line of duty injury or death.

He was joking when he made a few comments, but I picked up on the truth in jest. Most likely he has had a negative experience with a chaplain who lacked the skills to serve in a crisis setting. I have expressed my frustration with his comments, so I feel better now. What do I do with this information? I learned some valuable lessons today, so I will just list them.

• I have to give up the habit. I have to kick the habit of making premature judgments about people based on unsubstantiated evidence. And I most also abandon the tendency to judge entire groups by the actions of one person. I am breaking out in a cold sweat already. This is not going to be easy.

• I should not take myself too seriously. I am passionate about every aspect of my ministry. I tend to get bent out of shape when I feel insulted. I need to loosen up and chill out. Case closed.

• When comments like that are made, it is important to talk to the person and find out the root cause of their perceptions. I have actually done this before and as a rule it is pretty productive. If I have the chance, I plan to visit with today’s speaker in the morning. He really is very competent and I do like him!

Tomorrow we are going to hear four hours of lecture on the subject of suicide. That is a serious subject. Over the years I have responded to a number of suicide scenes. I have also spoken with suicidal individuals as well. Hopefully the role of the chaplain will be integrated into the discussion in a meaningful way tomorrow. We shall see!