Yesterday at noon, Sharon and I made our way over to the park to brave the cold wind and say thank you and show our support for the police, sheriff deputies and fire department folks (and I’m sure other agencies I’m forgetting now) who work to keep us safe. We said hello to the police that drive by my house and wave, (yes they do that in Hampton) and the firemen (and women) who more than once came to our house in the early hours to check on Dad and drive him to whatever hospital we felt he needed to go, even if it they had to pass a couple of places that were closer to get Dad to his doctor (yes they do that in Hampton). This morning I was thinking about all the folks we saw and the demonstrations they gave us of their expertise. They were there in their different uniforms, and equipment and they even brought the bomb dogs, and the drug dogs and the dog that grabs you and throws you to the ground if you don’t give up (my favorite). Some of my friends were there with their ambulances and rescue vehicles and they even had a fire truck with a very long ladder with the stars and stripes hanging from it. Many years ago a fellow class mate explained that all the training he got in the fire department was fun but,….like it or not he longed for the day when he could actually go to a “real fire”. Later as a Probation Officer I heard the same thing from the different agencies I worked with as they “trained for the day” they were needed in their capacity. No, they didn’t hope for a calamity or for death and destruction, they simply hoped that when it did come (which is the truth of our lives) they would be ready to help and give the best showing of who they are as individuals and as trained professionals. The Bible tells us there will be tough times. The Old Testament followers of God faced some harrowing times and the New Testament stories didn’t get any better. Jesus explained to us thru his teaching that this world will always be a tough place but He, “had overcome the world”…not changed it…overcome it. The Apostles who spread the word of Jesus death, burial and resurrection (yes, I believe it just like the 600+ who saw him alive after his death) did not get a lovely basket of roses at every place they stopped and most of them were beaten and abused. But, like a swimmer who has to get in the deep water to show he truly knows how to swim, they showed that they believed what Jesus had taught…and were willing to be subjected to the “deep” to prove it. So why is it that Christians today clamor for those who will tell them that if they “sign up” they will be exempt from any danger, toil or care? Why would a follower of Christ who is training daily for the call to action associate themselves with those who proclaim that the call to action is a call they should not answer? I wonder what would have been the response if I had asked the public service folks yesterday if they had ever NOT answered the call to service for help? I once answered a call in the courthouse of a fight in progress that injured a deputy and I experienced firsthand a “deputy down” call that brought officers from all jurisdictions to our rescue. Yesterday, standing amongst those men and women with my wife, my daughter and son in law and my “grand girls” I had no fear for the things of this earth,….and I hard not fear of what eternity would bring. The world is looking for those who will step up and step into the fight,…not for those who hide in the sanctuary and refuse to come out into the dark although they carry the light with them. I’ll see yáll on the off ramp.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 13:42:18 +0000
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