A Firefighter’s Thoughts: Ropes – Watch out for Small Tears

Firefighters who are trained in rope rescue understand that they are only as good as the rope they are tied to. And if that rope isn’t securely anchored then all of the harnesses and rigging in the world will not stop you from a fall.  Let us look at this from the perspective that the rope is our spiritual life.

A “little sin” can lead to a catastrophe:

If you were about to descend down an embankment to perform a rescue and you noticed a small tear in the rope would you proceed anyway?

Our lives are the same, if we begin to tear our spiritual rope with a small sin, once the weight of the world comes upon us that small ‘sin’ will tear us apart.

Who will catch us when we fall?

Who is our spiritual belay?

Should we be training ourselves spiritually?

As firefighters we must be firmly anchored in our training to stay proficient. As followers of Christ, our lives must be anchored in the study of God’s word:

All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting
and training in righteousness, so that the men of God will be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16).

We must be diligently inspecting the “ropes and anchor points” of our lives through prayer, study, and fellowship with other believers.

A rope that is not inspected, maintained, and properly stored will eventually weaken.

In the fire service we are dedicated to the disciplines that make us better firefighters. Our commitment to maintaining the disciplines of our faith will give us confidence that our “cord will not be easily be broken.”

Stay alert, stay accountable, and remember your training.

God Bless.