Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by ~Belmont Beauty~ on August 28, 2008 at 11:59am

Valerie
Hello. good subject! Let me tell you, I am in utilities(emergency) and to be honest with you, its more escalated in those kinds of fields like mine and yours as opposed to working in a normal business environment. The difference, I see is that I work with more male to female ratio- where there may be 1 girl for every 10 guys .Not to say its the male's primary responsiblity to walk the walk versus females. But i have noticed when I had a normal job- the various people with no morals whatsoever were fewer-only due to we had a relaxed environment, and few people. I am sure if I multiplied those numbers I would have higher ratios .

It could be, that we are in emergency settings now and there is always a close relation to loss of our own life or that of a team member or a high risk of injury. There is an intense atmosphere in our department and our emergencies are seasonal , as opposed to yours which are more frequent by far.

What I have noticed that , we are all human. We have our own characterisitcs, but as long as we strive to honor God in our work place- even when we fail or those around us fail....God delivers us back again with newfound strengths if we keep our eyes on him and never shy away from him when things sway away from our walk.

At our church, it sunk into my head (finally) that - come as you are...means in whatever mood I am in, I come to the Lord. Maybe I was being a terrible example of a CHristian myself- I just go to the other office and pray while in the midst of my errors and i "come to him".

Often, My heart is not in it yet...but I pray almost like its a reflex- as after a short while, I feel the grace of the Lord cleanse me and make me right again and forgiven for wherer I failed, or where my team mate failed in their actions or words.

I also learned as women and men in Christ- we are experiencing many emotions we may question~ its all ok, as God made us this way and we can just lean on him with our own weaknesses and those we see in others.

I agree its hard, to keep your ways - just know that God is in the works each of our days, even in those moments we do not feel so close to him. Its especially in those moments , in the valleys...he is with us more(just as we are).
I loved your topic as I just learned about all this in the last few months-straight from a sermon - straight form the word.

cheers~!

Permalink Reply by FireCat on September 9, 2008 at 11:09am

Hi Belmont Beauty -

I wanted to let you know that your comments on this discussions has greatly helped me!

Valerie - Great post!

God bless,
Cat :o)

Permalink Reply by VaLeRiE cRaWfOrD on September 13, 2008 at 11:29pm

Hey Cat
this is just what is on my mind for getting into this field of work
so thank you it is hard but i am working to make it better for a christan to be and a Fire Staton.

God Bless:
Valerie

Permalink Reply by Erin T. on November 4, 2008 at 4:30pm

I can understand where that can be hard. Just remember that the Bible says to let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and honor your heavenly father in heaven. There wil be times where we need to just let the presence of God shine through us. I have been known to silence a room full of gossip by just merely walking in and not saying a word.

Keep the faith
Erin

Permalink Reply by Scott on November 7, 2008 at 8:06am

Hello all, this is my first post here. I am about a year into my walk with Christ. I have had this feeling for a few weeks that I need to witness to people. I have been trying this at the station along with 2 other guys. So far we have made great progress I feel. We have gotten 3 others to commit to going to church. These 3 are relatively younger / newer guys. There are several older more seasoned guys that I want to witness too, but for some reason it seems a little harder to do with them. Does anyone have suggestions on how to reach them? I pray about it every day. Thanks and God Bless !

Permalink Reply by Christian on November 11, 2008 at 4:52pm

I too realize how hard it is to be a Christian in this service. I am also a corrections officer and that is not exactly a place of holiness either. I have struggled over the last couple of months on whether or not I should resign. I am not certain if that is what I am being told by God, or if it is just me telling myself it would be easier if I got out.

I struggle with showing my faith, I worry too much about rejection because of it. I know that is wrong and I should get passed it, but I am blocked by it. I am not certain where my road will take me, but I do know I have to put more faith in Christ to lead me.

Permalink Reply by Shareef Abdu Nur on January 3, 2009 at 9:38pm

I am Muslim, but I understand your point of view completely. I am the only Muslim in my FD or in any of the FD's surrounding us, and it is not hard to maintain my religion because my religion comes first and foremost and before I compromised my faith, I would leave. It can be frustrating when there are no other "God conscious" people around you to talk to and share views with. I worked at an FD and there was a Jehovah's Witness on my shift. We never clashed and we really enjoyed each other's company because we were both striving for the same thing....A Closeness to God, the Almighty creator of the heavens and earth. So, even though I am muslim, I would welcome a "practicing" Christian to my shift with open arms.

Permalink Reply by Wannabe_Firefighter on January 20, 2009 at 1:20am

Awsome post,
I Love fresh revelations, and I love them even more when God gives them to me through someone elses revelation..

Thanks Valerie,
You are a blessing


Preach the Gospel day and night and if you have to use words.

Permalink Reply by Chad Eason on January 26, 2009 at 1:54pm

I am sure by now that you have found out that there are those around you that do not share our same beliefs. I am sure that you have heard the way they talk and act. I am also sure that you at some point have found it difficult to work in these conditions sometimes. Keep the faith. I feel that you may have been called to the fire service for a reason, I dont know you, but I am sure that like the rest of us you like to help people. As you continue in your career, you will find that the fire department is a calling and a the ability to do it is a gift from God. You will see things and experience things that no human should have too, if you have not already, but God does not give us more than we can handle. If firefighting is what you truely believe you are supposed to be doing, hang in there, and let the light of Jesus shine! God Bless!

Permalink Reply by Tom on January 27, 2009 at 8:25pm

Amen

Permalink Reply by Beth on January 28, 2009 at 1:01pm

In all honesty it isn't that difficult. WHen I first joined my first department, of course the guys especially were rough around the edges. The ladies weren't as bad. I was anxious and nervous and I just wanted to fit in-I wanted to be a member of the close knit family but I wasn't about to become ashamed of my Christianity. Anyhow, eventually a couple members accepted Christ as their savior after seeing how God worked in my life. I never hid it, I never boasted. The Public Safety Professions have taken on this harden demeanor and as a result there are many "lost souls" to reach.
My Advice- Stay true to Your God. Always be sure to ask during prayer for the Lord to provide you with opportunities to share his gospel and to help you use your talents and passions that He has blessed you with to work for Him. Watch what happens- Opportunities will present themself often. When you seek the Lord's counsel and guidance in all things and you truly make that attempt to do right by Him staying steadfast in your Christian walk isn't difficult at all.