Stop, Drop, and Roll

Question: What is wonderfully exciting, yet mundane? Filled with happiness and joy, yet infused with moments of sadness and deep sorrow? You guessed it...LIFE!. This life that we have been blessed with can be quite an exciting adventure. But it could also be nightmare, especially when something terrible happens. I mean, one minute, you can be laughing so hard that tears begin to streak down your cheek, and the next moment, weeping so hard that you feel like your heart's about to break from the burdens that sorrow can bring. I'm sure you've had such moments (and if you haven't...well...yeah...be prepared). 

When I was younger, after having received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, for the umpteenth time I might add (no one had yet explained to me the process of sanctification...but that's another topic for another day), I thought my life would be smooth sailing from then. Thus, whenever I encountered a hard circumstance, I thought, "I must be doing something wrong", and promptly proceeded down the aisle to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour once again. But as I've become a little bit "older" and wiser, I've come to realize that life is not perfect (and will never be...at least not in this realm of reality). It is a process filled with ups and downs, and just because I'm a Christian does not mean I won't encounter any problems. Jesus warns us in Matt 5:45, "...for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike]. "[AMP*]. Affliction seems to be no respecter of persons. So, what do you do when you encounter a situation that catches you unawares? What do you do when the fires of affliction surround you, threatening to suffocate and snuff out the very life you've been enjoying? You loose a loved one? You get a grim diagnoses concerning your health? You get fired from the great job you thought would turn into a great career? You are betrayed by a loved one? Your husband/wife leaves you? When these fires occur, it's important that we stop, drop, and roll!

Stop, drop and roll is a simple fire safety technique taught to children, emergency services personnel and industrial workers as a component of health and safety training. Primarily, it is a method to extinguish a fire on a person's clothes or hair without, or in addition to, the use of conventional firefighting equipment. In addition to extinguishing the fire, stop, drop and roll is an effective psychological tool, providing those in a fire situation, particularly children, with a routine that can be used to focus on in order to avoid panic. (Wikipedia,emphasis mine). This technique has been known to prevent further damage from occurring, and in many cases, has helped extinguish a potentially damaging fire. Likewise, in the spiritual, it's important for us as Christians to employ such technique when encountering a fiery situation. So, what do these three (3) steps entail?  

STOP: When an individual's clothes catches on fire, it is advised that the fire victim immediately stop, and not run, ceasing any movement that may fan the flames or hamper those attempting to put the fire out (Wikipedia). Likewise, when the fires of affliction come your way, just go ahead and stop; Stop the fear that will threaten to envelope your mind and paralyze you; Stop the negative thoughts from invading your mind, and coming out of your mouth, "for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." [2 Corinthians 10:4-5, NKJV**, emphasis mine]. You will need to be proactive in stopping every negative thought and replacing those thoughts with the truth of God's word concerning your situation. For example, you get a negative report about your health and the thought comes, "my life is over". Replace that thought with God's truth, "I shall not die but live, and shall declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord" [Psalm 118:17, AMP*]. Like David, we must confidently declare, "Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear." [Psalm 27:3, NKJV**]. In the midst of fear, courage must rise up! But it's not enough to just stop. We must further continue the process and drop.

DROP: After the fire victim has stopped, he/she must drop to the ground, lying on the ground if possible, covering their face with their hands to avoid facial injury (Wikipedia). Likewise, after stopping those negative thoughts, we must drop the burdens down at the feet of Jesus. Sometimes, we feel the need to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders as a sign of our ability to be responsible. But we have not been called to carry this weight...we cannot handle it. But Jesus can, and He already has, for "surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" [Isaiah 53:4]. Furthermore, drop the need to be in control of the situation. Release it to God, and receive the peace that only Jesus can give. You can have peace in the midst of fiery situation, just ask the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were in a fiery situation, literally, but that didn't faze them and we all know what happens at the end...they won the victory over their situation (Read Daniel 3 for reference). Let go...and let God, saint! After letting it go, we've got to complete the process by rolling the situation over to God.

ROLL: After the fire victim has dropped to the ground, he/she must roll in an effort to extinguish the fire by depriving it of oxygen (Wikipedia). Likewise, after we have dropped the burden at the feet of Jesus, we must give it completely to Him, depriving that problem of oxygen, so to speak. Dropping and rolling might seem like the same concept but the results are quite different. One is temporary, while the other is permanent. It's very tempting to pick back up the burdens we have dropped at the feet of Jesus. Rolling denotes complete confidence in God's ability to handle the fiery situation, and complete trust in God's character. It's like we're saying, "Father, I really don't understand why this situation has come upon me, but I trust you to handle it, in Your own way, in Your own timing". Jesus is a prime example of this. He knew He had to go to the cross and bear the burden of all our sins, but He said in essence, "Father, if there is any way We can accomplish salvation without the cross, please take this burden. Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done". [Luke 22:42, my paraphrase]. It pleases God when we do this, when we trust in His faithfulness, because without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The Psalmist David encourages, "Commit your way to the Lord (roll and repose each care of your load on Him; trust on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass..." [Psalm 37:5, AMP*]. Once we've rolled the situation over to God, it is unlikely that we will pick it up again. Because we trust God to handle every situation, we can rest easy, even in the midst of sorrow. 

Every fiery situation we encounter is not a surprise to God. In fact, it has to go through God's hands before it can get to us (Read Job 1 &2). Thus, we must learn to  employ this technique of trusting God in the midst of our trials, knowing that God is faithful, and even if He doesn't eliminate the trials, He will give us the grace and strength to go through that trial. This technique will prevent panic and fear from paralyzing us at the first sign of trouble. Indeed, God is good, and He has your best interest at heart. Jesus is saying to you today," Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and are overburdened, and I will cause you to rest [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls]. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me...and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls." [Matthew 11:28-29, AMP*]. 

Again I ask, what do you do when the fires of affliction come your way? You got it...STOP...DROP...and ROLL! 

*AMP = Amplified version

**NKJV = New King James Version