Growing up, every child has been put through one if not numerous fire drills. These drills are meant to prepare everyone for a terrible emergency – if the school would catch fire. When the alarm would sound, kids are told to stop what they are doing, leave their belongings, and find the nearest exit – rush to safety. Now if the fire got too bad, too big and too dangerous to escape, the golden rule that everyone was taught was the next option to reach safety – stop, drop and roll. Stop moving, drop to the ground and roll as fast as you can. The closer you follow these guidelines, the safer you will be. You have faith in what you have been taught, you just have to execute.
We live in a world that is constantly playing with fire, just not the type of flames that our grade schools prepare us for. The year of 2020 has brought a global pandemic, mass violence around every street corner, an unprecedented level of political polarization and even killer wasps – and its only August! Honestly, what’s next? It’s beginning to become difficult to recognize the world that we live in. Are restaurants open? Is it safe to travel? When is the next protest? Who are you voting for? All questions that result in tension, frustration and anger. There are mini flames everywhere just waiting to engulf anything in its path. In the world today, hope is on the backburner, and with it, our faith. But, just like we were taught in school, when there is fire, you run to safety. You stop, drop and roll until you’ve made it out, even though you may have picked up some bumps and bruises along the way - you’re safe.
The same rules apply in everyday life, whether it is massive fires that engulf the nation, or mini flames that take hold in personal life, safety is what we strive for as human beings – it is what we live for. Meanwhile, the safety and security we are naturally desire has been with us the all along, we just sometimes neglect to acknowledge him. Jesus literally says in the Gospel of John, “God is with you – wherever you may go and no matter what life brings”. Yet, we often look to find security in materialistic things. The hustle and bustle of everyday life eventually consumes us, much like a fire. If you didn’t get hundreds of likes on your latest Instagram post, then you’re not cool. If you don’t show off enough skin, then the boys won’t like you. Judgements and opinions constantly swaying the way we choose to live our lives. Meanwhile, the only one that we should be concerned about being judged by is Jesus - the only person that can truly give us a sense of real, loving security.
We see on the news every single news channel, whether it’s CNN or Fox News, videos of police cars being set on fire, riots erupting across the country, sending waves of fear and panic into the homes of every American. A pandemic swept the globe, sending millions of people into stay-at-home orders and 14-day quarantines. There is a massive fire ablaze in this world, and we are all left looking for a solution to it all. This is when Jesus asks us to do exactly what we were taught in grade school – stop the hustle and bustle, drop the insecurities and fear and roll to safety – get to God.
I often wonder what the earthly solution to the world’s issues are, and the truth is, there is no solution to be found here. The problem we have found ourselves in as a lack of faith and basic sense of morality. No matter what side of the fence you’re on, no President can fix the lack of moral direction in this world, we as people just use that as an excuse when we can’t come up with any explanation for our actions. Luckily for us, God doesn’t leave us behind, even when we put him on the backburner. The truth of the matter is we need him in our world more now than ever. Let’s put out these flames once and for all – who’s with me?
By: Taylor Renk