Unreachable Destinations Series

Unreachable Destinations

The Path

CCCAG 11/7/21

Scripture- Proverbs 13:12

So far in our series on The Path, we’ve learned that:

1. Your direction determines your destination. (Pr. 7:6-27)

2. Life is a series of mid-course corrections. (Pr. 22:3)

3. We shouldn’t trust our hearts but should trust our hearts to God. (Pr. 3:5)

5. Wise people seek counsel. (Pr. 15:22)

6. Attention determines direction. (Pr. 4:25)

(Referring to last point) Look straight ahead and don’t get distracted by things that will lead you off the path.

So what do you do when you realize that the destination you’re trying to achieve is unachievable, that the dream you had is not going to come true, that the hope you had is going to go unfulfilled. What do you do when you find yourself trying to reach a destination that is unreachable?

For years I had yearned to be a full-time firefighter, especially on my hometown fire department- Kenosha Fire.

I took the required classes, got in great shape (round is shape), and applied. I scored high on the written test, high on the physical agility test, and was ranked number 7 on the list of 125. They were hiring 10 firefighters immediately, and I was expecting the phone call any day for the interview.

Then it came out that the fire chief’s son had also applied, and that the chief directly graded some of the tests, and even though he could prove he didn’t touch his son’s test, the city threw out the whole thing and said they needed to start over.

Now the process is very slow to get through the written test, the physical agility, and the interview process. It takes about 8 months to a year because they have repeat all the background checks, all the application reviews, all of that stuff.

I went through it- and this time ranked number 8.

Again, they are hiring 10 immediately, and then another 10 over the next few years. I get to the interview and was doing well, and at the end I asked if there was any other questions I could answer for them, and what the remainder of the hiring process looked like.

I was then told that this interview was pretty much a formality because they were not hiring any Caucasian males. Apparently, someone in the community had filed a federal civil rights complaint that the fire department didn’t have enough diversity, therefore they were hiring only females, preferably of color. They didn’t even have 10 women of color apply, so they would be starting a new hiring process soon.

I was pretty discouraged, but then a good friend who was a captain on another department told me about an EMS training chief job opening up, that none of the union guys wanted so they were looking outside the department. So, I applied for that job thinking if I can get my foot in the door, I can always transfer to a line company later.

I went through that whole process and got to the interview. This was by far the strangest interview I ever had. Because this was an fire officer position, instead of a board interview of fire officers, you got interviewed by members of the fire and police commission- politicians.

To paint the picture- I sat across the table from the man in charge of the interview, who was obviously very drunk and had a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket.

First question- “What do you like to drink?”

I said, “Dr. Pepper or AW Root beer are my two favorite sodas.”

He replied, “I meant alcoholic drink smart alec!”

I said, “I choose not to drink alcohol. It’s not something I do well with”

He said, “How much do you smoke?”

I said, “I quit smoking when I started having children so I could set a good example for them”

He said, “What? You don’t drink, and you don’t smoke. What kind of fun are you?”

Now, my temper was starting to rise a bit because this guy is trying to bully me, and that is the number one thing I don’t tolerate from anyone, so I smiled and replied, “I’ve always found that if a person needs a chemical to have fun, then that says something is lacking in their personality that they need the chemical to cover up.”

Needless to say, that was the end of the interview.

And, it was the end of me trying to become a full time firefighter.

All of that was to warm you up to this final idea about walking the path of life with our God.

What happens when you have a dream that is impossible for you to get to?

Prov 13:12

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.