125: A Vessel of God's Love: losing husband to COVID didn't stop her with Leslie Chandler

Every person alive in 2020 was impacted by COVID-19 in some form or fashion. My guest, Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Chandler, was no exception. She serves as a chaplain in the Georgia National Guard. Married twenty years and then having to navigate a divorce during a deployment to Afghanistan prior to COVID was a difficult challenge. Leslie found joy again when she reconnected with the love of her life, Greg. They enjoyed almost four years of marriage before COVID impacted her husband. Two weeks of a health roller coaster nightmare. Good days followed by bad days.  Leslie shared, “I knew the second he [Greg] died. I could feel life leave him. And I could literally feel life leave me.” She already knew God’s presence, but He poured it into her in a way she hadn’t experienced before. She was an empty vessel, and God poured in His love. Memorable quotes from Leslie Chandler: ·         “The chaplain can’t be going through trauma in the war zone because all of the trauma came to me.” ·         “One of the things that chaplains sometimes struggle with is they can’t relate to soldiers on a very personal level because not many chaplains are divorced. Not many chaplains have endured rejection.” ·         “I wouldn’t wish it upon anybody, but the revelation of God that I’ve experienced in the last four years I would wish on everyone.” Bible verses: ·         Psalm 125:2 ·         Isaiah 6:1 ·         Isaiah 6:8 ·         Leslie’s fight verse is Philippians 4:6-7 Send me a COMMENT or QUESTION! THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Have a comment about this episode? Click HERE and complete the form.