OPINION: Protect and Pray for Our Pastors and Police

Times are tougher than usual for the handful of men and women who comprise our church pastors and local police. These courageous, selfless individuals are fighting on the front-lines every day – not for themselves, but for the lives and souls of Nevadans.

Whether they lead a church of 15 or 1,500, pastors sacrifice almost all of what the rest of us treasure the most: time that they can call their own. Pastors are expected to be available 24/7 for every church member, to comfort the afflicted and “heal the sick.” Sometimes that includes praying for bodily health.

More frequently, the “diseases” pastors are expected to cure require far more than temporary medical patching of transitory material bodies. People turn to pastors for deeper healing because they are desperately seeking a way to fill gaping holes in their eternal souls. This can include helping their flocks find lasting solutions regarding:  relationships (or the lack thereof), children, finances, fidelity, age, substance/sexual /domestic abuse, pornography addiction, unemployment, grief, loneliness, fear, guilt, hatred, finding a life purpose, and more.

The “medicine” pastors offer to those whose worlds seem to be in irreparable chaos is simple. It is the heartfelt truth that our lives are held forever in the loving hands of a God who is All-Powerful, All-Present, and All-Knowing, and is there for each of us: here, now, and always. And because of this spiritual fact, we are not alone and have nothing to fear. As anyone who’s been fortunate enough to encounter a great pastor, this priceless spiritual truth heals.

This inspired spiritual conviction that pastors abundantly share with individuals, is the glue that truly holds our family units and communities together.

While the individuals who receive this life-changing help go back to their own personal lives, pastors simply move on to the never-ending next-calls for help.

How often do church members – or the communities that benefit from this help – realize that the price pastors pay for sacrificially meeting the community’s needs, is not having the time to attend to their own needs, and those of their families?

Being a police officer – unarguably – is the mot dangerous, difficult, important, and sadly, unappreciated job that exists in our society.  The police are where the buck stops in maintaining safety in every community.  Truly, police are the thinnest of thin blue lines: maintaining civilization and protecting all of us from anarchy and chaos.

When every other organization: families, schools, social services, treatment centers, political bodies, and churches have failed to deliver socially acceptable behavior, it is the police who are called to immediately and fearlessly step to the front of the line, clean up the mess, and solve the problem

During every minute of every shift, police officers’ lives are always at risk as they dedicate their entire careers to protecting others from car accidents, violent crime, terrorism, riots, robberies, gangs, murderers, natural disasters, sexual predators, medical emergencies, kidnappers, drug dealers, bank robbers, suicides, domestic violence, child abuse, and the list goes on.

Far too many of the ones whose lives and loved ones are protected by police officers are the very same individuals who all-too-frequently criticize them, all the while taking for granted the priceless life-saving help they are receiving from the police.

There are a number of dangerous jobs where the personal safety of the people who do them is at risk every day.  But the difference between police officers and everyone else, is that in virtually all of those other jobs, the risk-times and places can be controlled, breaks can be taken, and the people doing those jobs are personally benefiting. The only personal benefit cops receive is being alive and uninjured when they finish their shift and return to their families.

Only the police are at risk of immediate, life-threatening danger at any given moment, as soon as they pull on their uniform. The personal safety the police risk is constant.

A life-changing New Year’s resolution would be for anyone reading this is to  request a “ride-along” with our local police departments. It will open your eyes and exponentially increase your gratitude for these men and women.

Committing themselves to their selfless careers, it’s not surprising that pastors and police officers, with few exceptions, have the character, integrity, and moral courage that makes countless young people want to grow up to be just like them.

Collectively, we should  hope and pray that this trend continues, because our community and our world have never needed great pastors and police officers more than we do now. If you haven’t recently said “Thank you” to individuals in both those career fields, please do it soon.