STRESS RELIEF for Firefighters & Paramedics from Chaplain Skip

"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark."

There have been quite a few times that we have talked about things such as; cursing, telling lies and gossip. What do all of these have in common? Simple. They are all uttered with our tongue... our mouth.

Ken Arney, a Deputy Regional Forester for the US Forest service, said this before a House of Representatives committee - "On average, more than 45,000 wildfire outbreaks consume approximately one million acres of the 215 million acres of southern forests. Runaway blazes destroy about 250 structures a year. Forest Service specialists have used controlled burns to treat about 1.2 million acres of National Forests System lands each year."

That's over two million acres per year burned... and he was just talking about the forests in the Southern states!

Sure, some fires are started by lightning, but FEMA statistics state that four out of every five forest fires are started by humans. And, a lot of those are started by cigarettes...

In January 2001, a motorist driving along Interstate 8 in San Diego County flicked a cigarette butt onto the center median, sparking a fire that eventually burned more than 10,000 acres, destroyed 16 homes and charred 64 vehicles.

* Investigators are still searching for the cause of the massive Durango fire in Colorado that has destroyed 56 homes since it began last month. The leading theory, however, is a discarded cigarette butt. Local police received 10 calls from drivers who saw other drivers flicking butts out the window at about the time the blaze began.

Cigarette-caused fire threatens four San Andreas (CA) homes:
Smoking blamed for San Andreas fire; crews keep flames away from homes
Smoking is blamed for a grass fire that threatened at least four homes just south of San Andreas on Friday.

Cigarette-caused fire responsible for Canadian Forest Fire
Thousands Flee Canadian Forest Fires
A cigarette-caused fire is currently responsible for one of the largest forest fires in Canadian history.

It's the same way with the tongue... one little word can cause a whole lot of damage.

So, we need to learn to keep our tongue in check (or, should I say "in cheek" - pun intended... hehehehe). As your parents used to say, "If you don't have something nice to say..."

"In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."

I think there is a difference between "just" calling for help and calling a "Mayday." What I mean is this... a call for help can be as simple as "we need more manpower over here." A mayday, though, means "I need help now..."- this is a critical situation.

Our tendency, as frail humans, is to try to handle the "little" calls for help in our own lives. But, when something "major" occurs in our life, we call out to GOD, to our REAL CHIEF for help. In other words, we call out to family or friends when we need help with the "little things" in life that pop up... for example - we can't find the car keys and we are going to be late for an appointment. What do we do? We generally scream, "HONEY! Where are my keys?"

Then, if we have something we consider major happen in our life... like, let's say your child has to be taken to the hospital... we immediately call out to GOD for help.

My point is this... our REAL CHIEF loves to help... HE wants to help. HE mentions the word "help" over two hundred times in the Bible!

However, HE also allows freedom of choice. So, if you choose to try to solve the problem on your own, how can HE help you?

I try to ask HIM with help in almost everything I do. I am pretty sure some of things I ask for help with might seem silly to you. For example, I say a little prayer for help almost every time I start an IV. I simply pray silently, "GOD, please let me get this."

Don't wait for a problem to become what you would define as "major" before you call out to GOD. Ask for HIS help in all that you do. Learn to turn things over to HIM. Quit trying to handle things on your own as you serve...

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

The CREATOR, our REAL CHIEF, causes the writers of the Bible to mention the word "heart" a whopping five hundred and forty-one times! And, interestingly, the phrase "with all your heart" is used twenty-three times to describe how our relationship with GOD should be.

As most of you "regulars" know, this ministry is a para-church ministry of WoodsEdge Community Church. Cindy, Megan and I attend services there. This morning's service was awesome and a great reminder of using ALL of our heart to love GOD. Our pastor was teaching on the book of Revelation. Specifically, he was teaching on two of the seven churches, the churches at Philadelphia and Laodecia. The church at Laodecia was being disciplined... in our REAL CHIEF's words -"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Gives me the "willies." To think that GOD could call one of his churches 'spit.' And, HE did so, because they were not "on fire" for HIM. HE uses the terms of hot and cold... hot - on fire for HIM, cold - an unbeliever. Instead this church HE writes to is 'lukewarm.' They have religion, but no relationship. They are believers, it sounds like, as a matter of convenience.

I want a heart condition. I want a heart that beats for GOD. I want a heart that yearns to know HIM better. I want to love HIM with ALL my heart, with every fiber in my being.

I don't want to be 'lukewarm.' No, sir, I don't want to be an emetic to my REAL CHIEF. I want to be on fire for HIM, as I serve...

The metaphor of 'yeast in the dough' is used several times in the Bible (our SOP for Life!). The central point being this, just a little bit of yeast makes its' way throughout the entire batch of dough. It changes the dough.

Let's say that we have nine good things going on in our lives. Then, let's say that we have one really bad thing going on. Usually, we can 'handle' that... we might even ask our REAL CHIEF to help us with our "little" problem.

Now, let's say, instead of nine-to-one ratio, all of a sudden three bad things happen all within a short period of time. Now, the tendency is to forget that we still have nine good things happening... we tend to focus on the bad. It is at this point that some people 'forget' to turn things over to the ONE Who can help. We try to handle it ourselves. It all boils down to "do you see the glass half-empty or half-full?"

You see, once you allow that little bit of "yeast" known as self-pity (or even self-doubt) get into your mind, you "knead" it throughout the "dough" of your soul. Very soon, you begin seeing everything from a negative viewpoint.

It is at times like these that it is of the utmost importance to call out to our REAL CHIEF. Why? Because HE understands. HE wants to help you. JESUS told us, if you remember, that we" will have trouble in this world." Not, "we might have trouble," - we WILL have trouble. But, HE goes on to remind us, "But, fear not, I have overcome this world."

When the bad times hit... and they will... keep reaching up. Keep praying. Look at the glass of your life with an optimistic view. Focus not on the bad, focus on HIM, as you serve...

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.

The folks at the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation can also help if you have been involved in a Critical Incident.

Chaplain Skip writes STRESS RELIEF every week, usually on Sunday afternoon. STRESS RELIEF was distributed, via email by request, to 575 readers this week. The article also appears on several other websites with Chaplain Skip's approval.