Yesterday, we stopped at the local fire station to borrow a life jacket for a river outing my family was taking that afternoon. The fire department loans out jackets to community members as a public service and promotion of safety.
After a very successful and happy time on the river with my wife and teenagers, I stopped at the station on the way home to return the preserver. As I walked through the station to find a fireman, I was impressed at the ready state of their equipment.
The doors to the fire trucks were wide open. Jackets, helmets, boots, bags of equipment and more, were in well placed positions for the men and women to grab on the run and not waste a second thinking about how to prepare for a call.
I thought, “Wow!” What if we were all as mentally prepared to respond to calls for spiritual help as these firemen were ready to respond to fires?
For instance, have you ever noticed a problem in your family that needed healing, but said, “I’ll get to it later?” For a fireman, that delay is not good enough. It could mean the difference between a house burning down or a little damage in the kitchen. In serious circumstances, it could mean the difference between saving a life or not.
Have you ever walked by a suffering invalid and not thought much about their pain because you were preoccupied with something else? As I write this, I ask, isn’t the person’s suffering the equivalent of a burning fire in your local community that needs to be put out to prevent further suffering?
Hmmm…I found much to think about after my short stroll by the fire engine with the open doors…
Again, I asked, have I ever procrastinated praying about problems in my life that needed healing now? Yes, to be honest. Isn’t that similar to letting a spark grow into a flame, into a fire, and then into a full blown blaze? I pondered. A ready fireman would not approve of any type of delay, ever! He wants the fire out as soon as possible, because he knows what happens when a flame is allowed to find more fuel.
It’s amazing how many lessons one can learn from walking 50 feet through a fire station.
I resolved to work on “keeping my doors” open like the firemen had their truck doors open this afternoon—ready for them to take their seat and respond to the calls for help without delay.
It sounds like a safe way to protect a community—and in reference to our discussion above—any community of thought that we circulate in.
Hope you had a happy 4th…
Evan, your comments reminded me that we can also protect ourselves through our prayers. Just as the firemen loaned out the life jackets which are worn to prevent an incident, our prayers protect us. What great lessons from a visit to the fire station. Thank you!
Once again Evan, thanks so much for the timely thought. Yes to all of the above. Ah, the oneness of Mind.
Or as Van Morrison sang: “Have I told you lately that I loved you?” I tell folks all the time especially those with elderly parents to tell them at each opportune that they loved them. I repeated the song’s lyrics to my mother all the time. She passed and I am glad I told her I loved her all the time. Or as James Taylor sang “Shower the people you love with love”. It could make all the difference in the world. Nothing is guaranteed except the love of God, but while we are here, make someone’s day.
John Stapleton
Very nice. Thank you…
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