Thought for the Day:
Yesterday I attended the 9-11 Memorial Service in Eau Claire. As I think of that day’s events, I would
guess that none of the emergency responders (firefighters, EMS, or police
officers) had any idea that their life would end on that day. They got a call about a massive event and
rushed to the scene as they were dispatched.
Most of them probably got into that kind of work because they wanted to
help people and make a difference. It
ended up that they died while doing what they did best and what they enjoyed
doing. They found their purpose in life
and they were doing it when their time ran out.
Think about it. Who runs into a
burning building? When hundreds of
scared people are fleeing going down the stairs, who in their right mind is
climbing up the stairs? It is a
testimony of courage, dedication, and sacrifice to do exactly the opposite of
what your brain is urging you to do. It
is a recognition of the fact that somebody needs to do it. People need heroes who will be there when
they have a need. From one angle, the
first responders who died while doing their job were in the wrong place at the
wrong time and it cost them their lives.
From another angle, they were in the right place at the right time to
help as many people survive as was humanly possible.
On 9-11 we paused to remember their courage and sacrifice along with
great number of innocent lives which were extinguished that day. We should continue to lift up prayers for the
families who were left behind and left incomplete because of that day. Dads and moms, brothers and sister, aunts and
uncles, sons and daughters, grandmas and grandpas, nieces and nephews, all suddenly
taken from their loved ones.
My thought in writing today is to remind everyone that we need more
heroes. We need more people who will
risk their lives in service to those around them. We need people who think more of others than
they do of themselves. Men and women who
will choose courage and determination.
You don’t become a police officer, firefighter or EMS for the high
pay. You do it for the satisfaction of
knowing it’s a job that needs to be done and you are able and willing to step
up and do it. I hope that more people will
feel that call and join their ranks.
As a chaplain for two police departments and a fire department, I get a
first-hand glimpse of the men and women doing this job. It is often a thankless task. I salute them and want to express my deep
gratitude for what they do. They aren’t perfect. Sometimes they make mistakes. But considering the pressure they’re under
and the situations they are called to handle; I can think of no one else I would
rather trust my life with.
Thank you for serving. Thanks
for putting others first. Thanks for
every hour of lost sleep and every drop of sweat that you give. Thanks for striving to be professional and
courteous in difficult situations. Thank
you all the hours of training you do to keep proficient in the tasks you are
called upon to do. Thank you for
striving to make a difference in the world around you. The world needs more heroes. You may not wear a cape; but I think you fit
the description pretty well!
God bless you and stay safe!
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