Fire!

Friday I responded to a fire. I came straight from home so I was driving my own car. As I got several miles from the fire scene the traffic came to a complete stop. I flagged down the deputy and told him that I was trying to respond to the fire. He said, "Put your Hazard lights on and drive down the shoulder and go around them the best that you can."

So as I passed several miles of cars by driving on the shoulder and trying to not put myself in the ditch I was very carefully NOT making eye contact with any of the people I was passing. I really did not want to see any of the gestures that I was sure that frustrated drivers were making in my direction.

Arriving a the scene, I grabbed my turnouts from the back of my rig and began trying to get everything on. Turnouts are very interesting, you keep the pants and the boots together so that you can just step into the boots and pull your pants up. First my shoes had to come off, which meant I was standing in the rain in my yoga pants and Fire Department tee shirt, hopping up and down as I tried to get my foot in the boot before I fell over. I finally got both feet in the boots and my pants on. Then it is was time for my turnout jacket and finally my helmet. The gear weighs about 20 pounds and I was sweating and rain soaked before I even got it on.

And that is the story of the trip into the fire. The fire itself was very difficult and sad and I will write more about it another time. But I came away from the fire knowing that I had made a difference and God had used me.

As  have thought about the trip in, it reminded me that some of the most meaningful ministry moments were hard to get to. It took effort and work to get to the place where God could use me effectively.

It reminds me that being "hard" is okay. It is just part of the journey and you never know where the path is going to take you ......

Just Connie