
By Bobby Cates, Lead Pastor, First Baptist Argyle
When I was 4 years old, I made a life-changing choice. I played with fire, literally. My little redneck heart was fascinated with the brown burning barrel used by my grandparents at their Texas Panhandle home. The dancing flames were intriguing. They were even more enticing when they began devouring the dead mesquite branch I had shoved in their midst. My awe turned to terror when the little orange devils spread to a nearby bush, and I unsuccessfully tried to extinguish it by stomping it out.
I was on fire. My plans had gone awry, and my life was now in danger.
So, what did I do? I ran. I didn’t know what else to do.
I ran into my grandparents white frame farmhouse. Once inside, my grandfather, who had stepped inside for fewer than five minutes, headed into action, snuffed out the flames, and rushed me to the hospital.
You may have never set yourself on fire, but it is likely that you’ve felt like your world was burning to the ground. You can vividly recall that season in which your life was falling apart.
To whom did you run for help? Where did you seek refuge? Where will you turn when the fire flares up again?
My prayer is that you will find a community of Jesus-loving, Bible-saturated, Spirit-driven friends who will do for you what my grandfather did for me.
Even more so, I pray that you will remember the words of David from Psalm 46. That even when the entire earth is crumbling around us “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.”
Run to the God who made you and offers you grace, redemption, and healing.
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