Putting Our Hearts on The Line

This past week, the California Highway Patrol lost a brother when Officer Kenyon Youngstrom, 37 and father of 4,  was shot and killed. While there are posts abound about the tragedy (notably, one is from the Hubby. Read his here), this post is from the other side of the badge.

As a Christian, I believe God has a Master Plan for me. When I am following that Master Plan, I am “being called” by God to fulfill His will. I was called to marry the Hubby. I was called to become a mother. I was called to share my faith on this blog. I was calledto help people get out of debt. You can tell it’s a calling when you have such peace in your heart that it’s the right thing to do, even if it’s a little out of your comfort zone. God doesn’t want you to be complacent. He wants you to grow, to share His wisdom and power, and to be challenged. Matthew 4:18-22 says

18One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20And they left their nets at once and followed him. 21A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

He called to them. Do you think it was easy for them to abandon their “safety nets”? to leave their families? to follow a Man whom they had never seen or spoken to before? I’d venture to say it was the calling that brought peace to their hearts and allowed them to take the walk with Jesus, that would forever change their lives.

So, I say again, I was called to love a man that is sworn to protect not just me and my family, but you and yours. I was NOT called to be in his shoes, just to love him and honor him in his calling.

It’s often said that civil servants put their lives on the line every day they go to work. I whole heartedly agree with that statement because, though I don’t know the goings on in a man’s head, I can guess that Officer Youngstrom did not think a dead deer call would lead to his own End of Watch. I honor and thank him, and every other servant out there, for following his calling. Ofc. Kenyon Youngstrom was active in his church and loved the Lord. The Hubby has the privilege of holding his hand and praying for him as he was loaded into the ambulance. While cuddling last night, Big asked the Hubby “Daddy, did you see God take him to heaven?”. And it struck me, that God gave our daughters the calling to be civil servant children, forever impacted and learning from loss and triumph.

But this post is to honor and thank those families out there who love someone in service. Your loved ones may put their lives on the line, but we put our hearts on the line. I thank you for supporting and encouraging those following their calling, even if it isn’t yours and even if it’s scary and uncomfortable at times. It’s God’s will for us, just as it is for them. Humbly, I thank you.

To donate to Officer Youngstrom’s family, please visit this link for details and account information. At that link, there is also information about donating for the financial needs of families of future fallen officers and firefighters, because, unfortunately, the death doesn’t end with Officer Youngstrom.

Thanks for reading.