One of My Bibles

These were the pages I was slowly advancing through last night in preparation for another fire fighting test. This manual has over 700 pages of material that, hopefully, in the next year or so I will have covered entirely. Some of the reading is tediously slow going, but most of it interests me so much that, when I take the time to study, I really enjoy it.

I think back to my first training session with the fire department nearly 2 years ago. The deputy chief sauntered in and dropped several of these behemoths on the table for us "probies" (probationary firefirefighters). He informed us that these were our bibles. From now on we would eat and sleep this stuff.

Because I am enjoying firefighting so much, am very grateful to be a member of the fire department, and can't wait to hear my pager go and be on route to a call, I have no problem with studying this "bible". I actually enjoy it! However, I didn't join the department to read this book. I joined to be a firefighter. This "bible" just happens to be one of the sources that's profitable for instruction and correction in the field of fire fighting.

I think this has some application to the spiritual life and the Christian Bible. Sometimes the way Christians talk and act almost gives the impression that our purpose for being a Christian is to read the Bible. But is it really? I think it's to be a follower of Jesus, and the Bible just happens to be one of the tools/resources given to inspire and guide us in this journey.