First Responders

I have really come to enjoy Fiver’s and my top-of-the-morning walk each day!  We usually get out around nine-thirty and take a brisk jaunt along the golf course next door, to the neighborhood park and then up the berm to the large pond that separates our neighborhood from the more upscale homes (read that: BIG and Fancy!) across the way.

Except for the occasional golfers out on the course, the walk is usually pretty quiet and affords me times of prayer, self-reflection and some good old peace and calm before I jump into the day’s activities.  On the way back to our street earlier today, I had to smile as I thought about how much Piper would have enjoyed these morning walks.

As I have mentioned in numerous posts, she loved to be outdoors and enjoyed taking daily walks with the kids during the day and then another one alone with me, either before work or after I got home from work… depending on which shift I was working.  Since I tended to work a lot of swing-shifts, the majority of our walks were in the early afternoon hours of the day.

Obviously, I also enjoy daily walks in the great outdoors and have kept up our tradition in her absence.  It is definitely different though, being alone on the walks without her warm hand, sweet personality and gentle smile.  I have gotten into the habit over the last few years of carrying my phone with me wherever I go… even from room to room in the house.  My kids and I decided that it was probably a good thing for me to do now that I am the only human in the house.

To my surprise, I realized a few weeks ago, about half way through one of our afternoon walks, that I had accidently left my phone on the couch where I had been sitting just a few moments before.  That was kind of a weird feeling.  The weather was very cold and dreary that day and there was absolutely no one in sight on the golf course or anywhere in the neighborhood.  That got me to thinking that if anything were to happen to me, that I could drop on the ground and no one would find me for hours!  I mean, Fiver’s a great dog… but I don’t think that he would do the Lassie trick and go find help… although you never know… he did warn me one time when Piper was in distress!

For some reason, that memory got me thinking about First Responders during my morning Bible study today.  I was reminded of the many times that I had called 911 in response to the multiple, sudden seizures that Piper experienced when we were still in California, before moving to North Carolina.  It got so that I knew the routine and could almost count the minutes before the fire-truck from the local station house pulled up in the parking area near our little cluster home.

One time though, it took longer than usual and I didn’t figure out why until they took Piper out to the ambulance where I noticed that the fire engine was from another station across town.  It turned out that it was a busy morning for emergency calls in the city and this station was the only one available for the call!

All that got me thinking about the emergency, 911 calls… or prayers, that I made to God, not only during Piper’s illness but throughout my life.  Similar to my calls to the city’s emergency dispatch, I got to know the routine and process that God employs when answering our calls for assistance.

Paul wrote about a part of that process when he instructed us believers to pray as he did, “that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination (or understanding), flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope (or expectation or confidence) of his calling…” (Ephesians 1:18 The Passion Translation)  The thought of praying and then believing that God would “illuminate the eyes of our imaginations” to things that He has called us to do has become an integral part of the foundation of my faith. 

You see, from my experience, as we continue to increase in our active knowledge of just how intimately Christ knows us and loves us (See: Ephesians 3:19 – God’s Word ©), we can be certain of His answering us with “all forms of wisdom and practical understanding” (Ephesans 1:8 - The Passion Translations).  His answers may not always come within a specified time frame, or come exactly the way we thought that they might come… but they WILL come!   And all along the way, He’ll give us the fortitude and strength we need to push on through the tough times! (See: I Corinthians 10:13)

So, let me ask you… Who is the First Responder that you expect to come to your side in times of trouble?  In our times of need during Piper’s health crises, it was always GOD FIRST and then the Doctor’s office, the on-call nurse from our insurance carrier or the 911 Emergency Dispatch.  What about you?

Have a great weekend and keep expecting God’s best for you and yours!