Tuesday; November 23

Not long ago, George Strait released a music video called “The Weight Of The Badge”. The song (written by George and Bubba Strait with Dean Dillon) is a tribute to First Responders who keep us safe in our society. The focus of the song is the symbol of that duty – a badge. As the song reminds us, “It doesn’t weigh a lot until you put it on and the weight of it is staggering … then duty calls each time he knows he’s got to answer and it’s all in the handling of the weight – oh, the heavy weight of the badge.”. The commitment of this piece of “tin” is further described, “He swore that oath to protect and serve … Pours his heart and soul into both those words … Lays his life on the line … The line he walks is razor fine … Tempered strength is always tough … But he ain’t going to buckle under the weight of the badge.”.
As the song reminds us, the commitment made by the men and women in emergency services is incredible. Sure there are times when the actual work is difficult and dangerous but, often, the hardest part of the job is the impact trauma and crisis can have on them. Unlike many jobs, first responders can’t just turn off or tune out what is going on their minds. The weight of the badge is symbolic of the weight of society they carry with them.
When the Apostle Paul discussed a Christian’s responsibility to government, he finished up by noting, “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” (Romans 13:7). During this Thanksgiving Week, I would like to honor the men and women who risk their lives and wellbeing by carrying the weight of the badge. Thank you for what you do – you truly are heroes!

Think About It!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oek1V8bvJZI 

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday; May 3

I have a fish tank that allows my three Bettas (Larry, Darrell and Darrell) to live in the same structure, but remain hidden from each other – well sort of.   When I go to feed the fish, I believe that one of the Darrell’s can sort of see that the other Darrell is getting fed and he will linger over on that side of the tank even after I put his food in his tank.   I have to tap on the side of the tank where his food is floating to help him refocus and eat.   I get the impression that he is so interested in what is going on in the other Darrell’s tank that he can’t enjoy his own food. I have been told that the brain of a fish is pretty small – which explains their inability to process “blessings”, but are we guilty of the same malady as Darrell?   Are we so worried (or consumed) by what happens to the people around us that we fail to realize what is going on with us?   Are we envious of the blessings that others are receiving and end up missing out on what we have been given?   Are w
Read more

Thursday; February 14

         While most of us are familiar with today being Valentine’s Day, there are some who actually refer to February 14 th as “St. Valentine’s Day”.  This title is often affixed to a criminally historic event known as “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” on February 14, 1929 in Chicago, but that is another story for another time.  Not knowing much about the history of “Saint Valentine” I did a little research and found out he was a Roman religious leader who was martyred in 269 AD.  According to my limited research Valentine was killed because of his encouragement of Roman men (especially soldiers) to marry which was in violation of Claudias’ edict that prohibited marriage to keep their minds singularly focused on their task of defending the Empire.  Somehow, from this beginning – and possibly embellished by Chaucer – St. Valentine became intertwined with the concept of romantic love.           I am not really sure how February 14 th became connected with love, but inspired by thi
Read more

Wednesday; December 6

What does it mean to be a leader? I subscribe to the belief that a leader is someone who seeks the best for others and works with them to achieve their potential. There are others; however, who define leadership as the ability to have a vision and the tenacity to get their own way. Leaders who are this way are often portrayed as having developed the maturity to manipulate people to do things their way. However, is the ability to drive people in our direction mature or is it childish? The Christians of the 1st Century came from a lot of different backgrounds and had to work hard to work together. As the Apostle Paul challenged Christians in the city of Ephesus he challenged them to accept individual differences, “… until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. “ (Ephesians 4:13). Bossiness was not to be viewed as a sign of maturity, a willingness to wo
Read more