February 2001 The "instruction book" for life is the Bible. There are many stress-relievers in God's Word. On this page, we will be looking at different verses each week.
"The Yoke's On Us" February 25, 2001 "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." - 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV) This month we have been discussing listening to the CHIEF and teaming up... not doing it alone. I honestly didn't plan it this way, it's just what my REAL CHIEF has been directing me to write down this month. So, this week continues in that vein. (Vein? heheheheh - now I've got the attention of the EMS folks!). BONUS! TWO verses this week! hehehehehe. There are some good reasons; first, we have talked about Matthew 11:29 before and second, there is some advice here that needs to be heeded by comparing the two verses. Do you remember, as a child, you would divide up with the other kids as teams and play dodgeball against each other? You were teamed against (hopefully evenly) another group of guys or gals who would then pummel each other with round missiles hurled with as much force as a nine year old can muster. So, in the end, it really didn't matter which team you where on. Just about everyone got zapped with a ball. It's different in "real life." We are all, really, on a team of sorts. We are either serving our REAL CHIEF or we are seeking to please the world and ourselves. The point is that we choose to be, as the Bible calls it, "yoked" to one team or the other. That metaphor was used because it was easily understood back in ancient times. The term "yoked" refers to the crossbar, generally made of heavy, thick wood, that was placed across the back of the necks of a team of oxen. Get the picture? When one ox would turn, the other HAD to follow. Now - do you see the bigger picture? We choose to hook up to either a loser or the only real winner - Christ. You see, when you are yoked to someone who doesn't follow our REAL CHIEF, you are subject to them! If they "turn" into a bar for a few drinks after shift, you will also turn, because you are yoked to them. In great contrast, our REAL CHIEF says, "take my yoke.... it's easy, it's light and I don't make wrong turns!!!" Oh, and another stress-free promise from our REAL CHIEF? HE promises "rest for your soul" if you choose to be on HIS team. On HIS Shift AND on HIS Team,
"You Can't Do It Alone" February 18, 2001 "You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone." - Exodus 18:18 (NIV) I was sitting in a class up in Oklahoma City over the weekend. I was taking some courses towards my "Advanced Fire Chaplain" certificate. One of the classes was on "taking care of the caretaker." Funny thing. I had to be reminded to take care of myself. That's tough to do sometimes, isn't it? We are so used to taking care of others, that we often neglect ourselves and our families! A couple of the other Chaplains in that room admitted that they, too, had reached "breaking points" - you know, where you had one bad call after another. And, if you think about it, Chaplains really don't have "good" calls. I mean, every time we are called out, it is to deal with tragedy. And, guess what? YOU are never called to a scene to help someone enjoy a happy occasion! So, how do we deal with that stress? This weeks' verse is talking about one of the greatest care-givers in history - Moses. Moses would sit, as a judge, and hear every single case amongst God's people. It took Moses' father-in-law, who had come to visit, to sit Moses down and say "son, you are going to burn yourself out.... you need help. Appoint other capable people to help you." You know what? You and I CAN'T do it alone. You are NOT the lone ranger. We must seek out other capable people to help us. And, most importantly, we must seek out our REAL CHIEF - HE will help us through a situation (or a series of situations) by combining HIS strength and HIS wisdom with our willingness to cooperate - and by our willingness to deny "self." On HIS Shift,
"Teamwork for Life" February 11, 2001 "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." - Matthew 18:20 (NIV) The word "together" appears 383 times in the New International Version of the Holy Bible. So, I kinda figure that our REAL CHIEF thinks that it is pretty important to study the concept of "togetherness" with you. If you can remember back on all of the training you have had, a lot of what you learned involved working in a "team environment." Let's take a look at some of these;
Wait a minute!!! That's what we do! Heeehhehe.... yep! Can we do any of these by ourselves? Sure. Take CPR for instance. We even get some training in one-person CPR. And yes, we can probably extricate someone by ourselves and probably have even attacked a fire by ourselves (at least initially). But, what happens if we add more people to a situation that have had the same training we have had? We now have a TEAM, who, when focused on the same goal, can handle a situation quicker, safer and much more efficiently than the lone rescuer. In our verse this week, Jesus is the one who is talking. And, HE is talking to those of us on HIS team. Is HE still with us when we are alone? Oh, yes! But, our REAL CHIEF says, "when the team is together AND you are working (in My Name) as a team, I will stand in your midst." AWESOME. All we have to do is keep the team looking to HIM. This week, make it a point at work to put aside differences within your shift, between team members or even between mutual aid companies. Let's instead assemble the team to serve our REAL CHIEF. HE will honor that and stand with us. On HIS Shift,
"Stop, Look & Listen" February 4, 2001 "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." - Psalm 37:7 (NIV) I think, at some point in our lives, we all might have been tempted to ask our REAL CHIEF, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But, have you ever found yourself asking, "God, why do GOOD things happen to BAD people?" You know, you see someone that cheated on a promotional exam get the set of bugles you were struggling for. Or, you see a known drug dealer driving around in a Mercedes. Kind of stresses you out, doesn't it? It just doesn't seem "fair", does it? Do you remember your driver's education training? I'm not talking about an Emergency Vehicle Operator's course. I'm talking about when you were in High School and you were first learning how to drive. You are to come to a complete stop at the railroad tracks and to look both ways and to listen for a train horn/whistle/bell whenever you approach an unsignaled crossing. In our verse this week, our REAL CHIEF lets us know that as we approach those "unsignaled crossings" in life , HE needs us to stop, look and listen. And, HE tells us to stop for a while - "be still and wait patiently". In other words, we are to sit calmly as HE reveals HIMSELF in the situation. HE also adds more stress-reducing advice: "do not fret when..."!!! HE doesn't say "do not fret IF..." Did you notice that? So, HE let's us know that we will probably see some things in our lives that, to us, seem unfair. But, HE gives us some anti-stress counseling to go along with it.
This week, as you approach those "crossings" in your life, be still... relax and follow the S.O.P.s HE has set before you. On HIS Shift,
It is my prayer that the verses we discuss help each of you as it has helped me deal with the amount of stress we are all faced to deal with. If you are not yet saved, I have Good News for you. Jesus loves you very much and His Holy Spirit is drawing you to Him. To learn more, click here.
© 1999 - 2001 Emergency Ministries. All Rights Reserved. Chaplain Skip writes STRESS RELIEF every week, usually on Sunday afternoon. |
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