Female Firefighter at Fourteen

Really...I was.  I have pictures to prove it and memories to share of my times as a junior fire fighter.  I was the first female active member of my hometown fire department.  This was my first volunteer outlet.  Following my dad's career path as a professional fire fighter this was the way I could hang out with my dad, give back to my community, and do cool things like take cave rescue training classes (where they used me as the victim, strapped me into a basket, and turned me upside down).  As the youngest and littlest I did have fun with those guys!  So with that little spinet of background, I want to share how God painted an awesome picture for me while studying Proverbs 31.

The maidens and ladies of our church have been studying Proverbs 31 this school year.  Each week new verses are tackled by the women of the group to bring understanding to girls and women of all ages.  Last night was my first chance to explain some verses.  I've been preparing for this for quite some time and the verse 26 was a piece of cake to understand (although not always practice) and thought I had a pretty good idea of how to explain the lesson (or at least what God was teaching me) to the group some time in advance.  However I was drawing a blank for verse 27 until Sunday afternoon and then during the teaching.

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." Proverbs 31:26
Using some skits, stories and even fake prayer requests (yep this can translate to gossip) we discussed how much words can truly hurt or comfort.  We then read "A word fitly (or aptly) spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Proverbs 25:11
I had the girls reach into a bag to feel apples and a pineapple and then tell with descriptive words what they felt.  You can imagine the words as you picture how apples and pineapples differ in appearance and texture.  Our words can be like the skin of apples: golden, beautiful, smooth or like that of a pineapple: rough, prickly, even painfully sharp.  We are all guilty of putting our foot in our mouth at some point in time.  We must think before we speak.  Sharing our golden sweet apples with others should be our goal.   

"She watched over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31: 27 
Just a few words jumped out at me in this verse: watched over and bread..... 

This is how I can picture we are to be women of virtue watching over our households.  We are called to be on the watch, on the lookout if you will of the fire watchtower.  God gives women an eye for detail and an eye for the big picture.  Our job as the watch woman is to sound the alarm.  We are not to leave our post.  We are not to go put out the fires.  We are to cry out- to pray to God for help.  He's got all the equipment needed to either: put the fire out (using water by vehicle, chemicals by air, or people on foot), allow the controlled burn (aka prescribed fire), determine how long to let the fire go, or even to start a back fire.  Regardless of how the Fire Chief acts or commands other fire fighters to take care of the fire, our job/role is to sound the alarm and let the Fire Chief handle it.  PRAY and TRUST that God's got it under His control.  I think our job is to be alert, ready, paying attention, active, prepared, not sleeping on the job for when we spot fires we know what to do.  They will come.  Some will naturally start by God, others will be man made (which most are) but our job is to stand our post.  The younger girls of the group or those who haven't experienced fires in their families may not understand or get this. 

So let's modernize the analogy.  When we call 9-1-1 we talk to the dispatcher.  If the dispatcher started to panic with us, that would not be helpful.  If the dispatcher took a nap or break when we called, no one would respond to our call.  It's the dispatcher's responsibility to assess the call and get the appropriate emergency service to tend to the call.  Hmmmm.

I hope this picture is running in your mind's eye the way I can see it now.  I hope you see as a woman of God what our role as a watch person over our household is to be like.  Right now I can see a fire burning, it's dangerously close to my family, and my job is not to panic, not to rush and try to put the fire out (I don't have the right equipment: oxygen, protective suit, tools and I haven't been commanded by my fire chief to move.)  My role I've been commanded to do is PRAY. 

If you are a married woman I hope you see the role that the Captain of your household, your husband, can play.  It may be his role to put the fire out under the command of the Fire Chief.  I'll give you permission for your creative imagination to run with this!

Now the bread....children today unfortunately may not understand how bread takes time to rise.  It's not a quick fix.  I remember my mom making bread (rolls in particular) our families is true work/labor. 

I had no idea the Holy Spirit would revel this much teaching from a small visual picture and two verses.  I am excited to share what I am learning and hope these pictures stick with you.