Hello my sisters and brothers in Christ!
I pray you and yours are doing well. I have been really busy but thankful to God for His favor and grace. This week I took the wildland fire rookie school, taught by experienced and diligent firefighters. I am so thankful to God to be working for such an awesome agency like the US Forest Service and having great opportunities like this in addition to growing professionally as a mining engineer. The first 4 days was a mix of classwork and field work exercises; the final day was a full day on the field: hiking uphill and downhill at a fast pace with our 20-25-lb packs on, from constructing a fireline to performing rehab on a fireline, and all other protocols done on a real fire incident. After this full week of rookie school, I have to do and pass the pack test, and I can be able to join a crew to go fight fires during fire seasons. I have always respected and admired firefighters but this week, I gained a whole new level of respect for the men and women who put their lives in danger to fight wildland and urban fires across our country being that I was literally in their boots. In this current season of my life, it is my desire to grow spiritually as a child of God and see the lessons God is teaching in my everyday life. This week of training taught me a lot about firefighting but also some things about myself that I believe can align with our walk with Christ and maturity in the faith.
Lesson 1 - God Has Equipped Us For Trials
This week I realized that being a firefighter takes a lot of grit and push through. I don't think I have ever pushed my body physically this much in my whole lifetime like I did this week. For Friday's field day, there were few moments I felt I couldn't keep going but with determination and encouragement from the guys on my squad, I persevered and fully participated till the end. The moments I struggled hiking uphill or constructing the fireline, my squadees would tell me "it's all mental and your body can handle more than you think" as well as "you got this, Ruby!" They were right! Their encouragement and my determination to complete all tasks helped me push through and I was pleasantly surprised at my endurance and how much my body can handle; through the grace of God, I did not have any health emergency even though there were moments I thought I would by the end of the day. So how does this apply to our spiritual walk? Well it says in Ephesians 4:11-13, Jesus
gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. As Christians, God has equipped us for whatever He has called us to. We may see ourselves as unqualified but sometimes God calls the unqualified so He can get the glory. For instance, I could have seen myself as unfit to be a firefighter because there aren't many women doing it, especially a woman that is 5'2" tall and small as I am. So in our walk with Christ, we must remember that whatever trials and setbacks come our way, as long as we hold firm to the Word of God and His promises, we will prevail. We must remember that we serve a mighty God, we are His beloved, and we are fighting from a place of victory. There are so many scriptures in the Bible that remind us to be fearless, God will not forsake us, and
he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). The screensaver on my cellphone currently says "Let your faith be bigger than your fears." If we are going to declare God as the King of our hearts and Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we must fully rely on Him and not underestimate His ability and the work He is doing in us. Even when we come close to giving up, DO NOT GIVE UP. We are equipped and can persevere through whatever season in life we are in, so
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).
Lesson 2 - Be Fed By The Word Constantly
Earlier in the week, the instructors emphasized on the importance on staying hydrated on the job. Nutrition and hydration are key with a job like firefighting. Working on a hill in a canyon in high desert northeast Nevada like we did yesterday for field day comes with a lot of elements for the body to handle. The temperature ranged from 75-90 degrees yesterday while we were out there. We had to hike and work uphill and downhill. It made me understand why the fire guys stressed so much on drinking water earlier in the week. While we were out there, the moment I looked forward to the most was when our squad boss would give us quick water breaks. On a regular day, I drink water often but I have never desired water so badly as I did yesterday. With our packs, we can carry a minimum of 4 canteens and most of us in the crew finished at least 2 during our exercise outside. In our spiritual walk as Christians, it is important that we are constantly fed with the Word of God by reading our Bibles, as well as listening to sermons at home and at church. As it says in Matthew 4:4,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” It is imperative that we are equipped with God's Word: know who we are in Christ, what we can do in the name of Jesus, and be sanctified through and through by continually being fed with the Word of God and have it stamped in our heart. Two members of our crew had to return to the rigs and not participate in our field exercise - the reason why one of them had to do this was because he forgot to fill up his canteens with water. So upon being up on the hill digging the fireline, he became dehydrated 2 hours later and had no water to drink. Someone in his squad could have given some of theirs to drink but that person needs to drink water just as much also. We need to have a personal relationship with God and not through our family or friends. I consider the Bible to be the manual to life and believe it is a guide to not just living a life that honors God but also builds up our spirit man. Going to church every Sunday and serving in ministry are wonderful, but those moments in the week that we commune with God in our rooms or convene with our sisters and brothers in Christ reading God's Word are oh so crucial. In this walk with Christ, it is God's will
that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:9-12).
Lesson 3- Be Equipped For The Battle
There are different kinds of fitness: healthy living fitness, pageant fitness, marathon fitness, military fitness, etc. There is also firefighting fitness. So how does this apply to our spiritual walk? Well Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:10-13,
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Therefore, we have to be equipped the right way for every battle that comes our way. If I want to be an efficient wildland firefighter this fire season and be a contributing member in my squad, I have to train my body the right way. I can't train the way I did for when I competed in pageants but I would focus on all muscle groups that will make me physically fit to carry my 30-lb+ pack and tool for long hours, hiking on various terrains, and digging a fireline. I will focus on hiking uphill and downhill with weights and not just rely on running on a treadmill and doing crunches at the gym. In our spiritual walk, we mustn't rely on blaming people for the shortcomings that come our way but attack the real enemy, the devil, and use the right tools: prayer and the Word of God. I know the importance of getting on my face in my war room and praying specifically, as well as the relevance of studying God's Word: the Bible. So when the enemy comes for me or those I love, I am in full attack mode with prayer and saying out loud or in my heart the scriptures that declare the power of my Father in Heaven.
Jesus loves you.
Restored woman living for God's Glory,
Ruby B. Johnson.
Have you given your heart to God? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior? If you die today, will you make it to Heaven? If no or you are unsure, do not waste any more time and receive salvation now.
