As we prepare for another annual First Responder’s Service here at North Life, here are some quotes to help us appreciate the local heroes in our communities who have been serving in an especially difficult season:

  1. “Real heroes don’t wear capes. Real superheroes wear uniforms and badges and stethoscopes! Real superheroes are members of our military, law enforcement, and first responders. Pretend superheroes wear capes!” (Dean Cain)
  2. “Our military, police, and first responders risk their lives to protect ours, and so today – and every day – we should thank those who serve and honor those we’ve lost.” (Kim Reynolds)
  3. “More often than not, a hero’s most epic battle is the one you never see; it’s the battle that goes on within him or herself.” (Kevin Smith)
  4. “When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work.” (Edward F. Croker)
  5. “All first responders do noble work, and all of them deserve our respect and our appreciation.” (William Barr)
  6. “What I’ve noticed is not only in the military, but in the first responders community, that when you reach out your hand to help one of them, they almost always grab your hand with only one of theirs, because they’re using their other hand to reach behind them and pull up somebody else with them.” (Tara Kyle)
  7. “Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one.” (Abraham Lincoln)
  8. “Police officers, firefighters, EMTs—they are all out there every single day—literally just a phone call away for anyone who needs them.” (Doreen Cronin)
  9. “I sleep alone, so you can sleep safe.” (An unknown police spouse)
  10. “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
  11. “We (First Responders) spend so much time learning tactics to one day save our lives in a situation that will likely never happen in our careers to prevent death on-duty, and yet we fail to prepare for what we know will happen to each of us at the end of life……and that is death.” (Heath Studer-Law Enforcement Officer at NLBC)

While we all need saved by God THE SON, nothing makes us more like God than when we are defending or restoring peace in our world. The ultimate “thought” on First Responders is not the “11” but the “9” that comes from the lips of Jesus, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Mt. 5:9).

On behalf of our family, church, and community, thank you to all of the local, unsung heroes and their families who sacrificially serve amongst us!

Photo by Aidan Bartos on Unsplash