What does it mean to be a part of JROTC?
There are many amazing benefits to joining JROTC. Time management, leadership skills, maturity and a boost of self-esteem are just a few of the things you’ll receive. However, I think one of the most valuable aspects of our JROTC is the brotherhood between cadets and the Christ-centered friendships gained along the way.
What are Christ-centered friendships? Christ-centered friendships are friendships that promote and encourage loyalty, forgiveness, compassion and love. We have Christ-centered friendships because of our longing to reflect Jesus in today's world and society. God uses friendships to further his Kingdom and His plan for all of us.
Unfortunately, Christ-based friendships are becoming more and more uncommon among teenagers in the modern world. This is why it is so rewarding to have that sense of brotherhood and fellowship with not only the other cadets but also with Christ himself. This simple idea of putting Christ first has been shown to me in many ways during my time here in JROTC.
The first thing I noticed after joining was the daily morning Bible studies we have. Many of the cadets look forward to Bible study since it gives us another opportunity to strengthen our relationship with God and with each other. Last year, we had the opportunity to participate in discipleship training every Monday. This taught us many things such as how to go out and make disciples of Christ on our own. I learned so much about myself and the world around me during our training, and many of my fellow cadets were inspired by it as well.
During our morning Bible studies, we always start out with Care Through Prayer, also known as Care. Care is where we break up into small groups and ask each other about the highs and lows of the week, how each other’s quiet times are going and what we can pray about for each other. This allows us to grow our friendship with one another and shows us how best to support each other. By doing this and praying for one another, we follow the Biblical commandment,“ Love thy neighbor.”
As a leader myself, Christ has become the foundation of my leadership style. This program has helped me become a servant leader. To me, being a servant leader means using your leadership capabilities to serve others and glorify God. Brotherhood and fellowship are also deeply emphasized in this program.
Our Raider team is a great example of this fellowship. In Raiders, we are constantly cheering one another on and pushing each other to be the best we can be. The most important part of being on a team is having that trust and bond between teammates. In Raiders, we all have to work together and trust each other, which in the end only grows our comradeship. So what does it mean to be a part of JROTC? Being a part of JROTC means expanding both our companionship with each other and with God.
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