Three young men died in a fiery furnace of a forest fire as they tried to fight the fire.  My heart and prayers go out to their friends and loved ones.

I have nothing but admiration for the men and women who are willing to go forward, into the flames, and combat them.  They know the risks, they know this could happen to them, yet, they go.  I have two nephews who are in the Fire Fighting profession and I applaud their service.

Personally, I would rather deal with an angry person with a weapon (who I could hopefully talk down) than the flames of a fire.  People can be talked to, fires can only be fought.

This morning we got up to a hazy sky, with the sun shining through it had an orange taint to it.  We are seeing the smoke from the many forest fires here in Oregon. 

It is warm outside, yet, the feel in the air is the crispness we have in October Fall days – if I didn’t know it was August I would think it was in deed October.

Our animals are doing well.  The birds are enjoying the flowers and feeders and we had a deer jump over the fence into the front yard the other day, leaving a calling card – as if to say, can’t fence me out – even though there was nothing for him to eat inside the fence area.

2 Corinthians 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

‘If you haven’t gone through it you cannot begin to understand,’ is a statement many of us have heard through the years.

There is some real truth in that statement.  If you haven’t lost a child, it is hard to understand the depths of the emotions the parents are going through – yes, you can comfort and pray with them, but there is something missing from your sympathies that only one who has gone through it can feel.

We watch war movies; it is said one of the most authentic is the opening scenes of “Saving Private Ryan.”  But it doesn’t begin to expose us to what these men, who faced death and watched their comrades mutilated and killed, went through.  Only someone who has gone through this can fully appreciate the depths of emotions these men have endured.

I was talking with a friend a while back who served in Vietnam.  He was commenting on how a particular police officer was dealing with the killing of a suspect – he couldn’t understand why the officer was so upset.  He had been forced to kill in Vietnam and, while it bothered him to a degree, he knew it might happen and he dealt with it.  “Why can’t the officer?”

I explained that I believe (and I was not in the military so I am only speaking from observation NOT experience) a military person, going into war, expects to kill; they may not like it, but they do so for self-preservation and preservation of their fellow soldiers.  Their mind set is that the enemy is in front of him, he wants to kill me and therefore I must kill him, first.

The training for a military person is different than the training for a Police Officer.  The focus of military training is to defeat the enemy.

The focus of a Police Officer is to preserve the peace and protect the innocent.  His training is on the laws of the land; the mediation of arguments; the proper methods of doing the technical aspects of the job and finally how to protect himself and others by the use of physical restraints, non-lethal devices and as a last resort the use of deadly force to keep someone from being seriously injured or killed.

The mind-set of a Police Officer is to help, to stand between the innocent and those that would do them harm.  It isn’t to attack but to defend.  The most aggressive teams in Law Enforcement are the Special Emergency Response Teams (SERT – and SWAT.)  They are called out in the most severe of incidents where someone’s life is at stake and to try and take police action requires additional firepower and training that most officers do not have.  EVEN then however, the department tries to end the situation with negotiation and non-lethal means, the SERT team insertion is a very last resort.

When a Police Officer does have to shoot and kill someone, it is hard to understand how that feels to the officer.  Some handle it okay; others all but – and in some cases – fall apart.  Every officer knows that he might have to use his weapon at some point in his career, but knowing that and the aftermath of doing that are two different things.

You have to have been there.

The officer is placed on administrative leave – both for the investigation of the shooting incident and to give time to the officer to deal with the shooting of a person.  Most departments require the officer to go to a professional counselor to discuss his feelings and so the department can understand where their officer is mentally – is he okay, does he need further counseling, or should we encourage him to resign?

In the last few decades we also understand that talking to someone that has been through a shooting where they were forced to take a life is beneficial to the officer.  Larger departments have more activity and therefor are exposed to these situations more often than smaller agencies.  These departments have set up counseling teams of officers that have gone through this – and they make them available to smaller agencies.

It is a traumatic incident for an officer, despite how some paint the police, and one the officer is rarely fully prepared for; he needs that support from others who have been there.

Support groups, such as Alcoholic Anonymous; AL anon for family members of alcoholics; Cancer survivor groups and the list can go on and on are successful for those going through their challenges because the others have been there – they have or are dealing with the physical, mental and emotional trauma that the person who has just begun needs, in order to help them overcome these same feelings.

Most talk of a “higher power” who will assist them in the process.  While I do appreciate these groups and what they do for people, emotionally, they cannot deal with the spirit of the person – unless they use the ONE and ONLY GOD and Christ the work cannot help them spiritually – it can patch them up, but only God can fully heal them.

The Christian who is going through circumstances that are gut-wrenching and heart breaking needs that same kind of support from fellow Christians.  AS Christians we have a means to show a level of love that they cannot get from the support groups – even if we haven’t endured the same horror.

We have a common bond, we are the children of God and His Holy Spirit lives within and guides us.

However, when we have gone through those situations, when we have had a similar experience we can help lead them to Christ’s healings quicker, because they know that they are not alone.  Another Christian has gone through this and by the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and they can too.

The context of the above quote is:

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

⁴ Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

⁶ And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

⁷ And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

God understands our trials and tribulations far and away better than anyone else, including ourselves.  Even if we have not gone through the same misfortunes a brother has gone through, we share a mutual bond of love through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We would like to be free of any pain in this life – physical, mental or emotional – but because Adam sinned, that is not possible.  The next best thing we can do is understand that God loves us and has our best interests at heart – whatever we are going through will make us stronger and we will be more effective servants for Him.

We are left here on earth, after we have accepted Christ as our Savior, to help others find Him, find His salvation, His peace, His joy and a close relationship with Him. 

Christ came to earth, He walked down dusty roads; He preached in the temple; He was tempted by satan, yet did not sin; He was placed on trial and His disciples and friends held back; He was tortured and humiliated and He was placed on a cross to die.

He was a man who dealt with much the same things we deal with – He came to earth to show us how to live a righteous life in Him.  He has been here, He understands and that is why we can go to Him - confident that He truly understands our grief and despair.

We know that we are no better than Him.  We will have to endure pain, suffering and humiliation in this world – but as He overcame so shall we – and we can help others overcome through our testimony of His great love and care. 

We don’t have to have ‘been exactly there’ to help others come through their difficulties, we have Christ’s power within us to show them love, to give comfort and to help them overcome their trials by allowing the Holy Spirit to work within them.

John 16:32-33 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

³³ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

As the Father was with Christ, so both are with us; when we go through trials AND when we help others who are going through trials.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again