It was an early afternoon when the call came out. House fire. As a volunteer, I raced to the station and opened it up, then started prepping the engine as the firefighters arrived so the crew could get out quickly. Today, I was doing rehab and medical work and would arrive in the second wave of responders. On the way to the call, my crew listened to the voices crackle over the radio. The first units were already arriving and starting the initial attack. From at least half a mile away, we could already see the thick black plume of smoke rising over the district. We all knew that this was what we called a “workin’ job.”

As we approached the scene, we could see several red engines with lights flashing and people moving to and fro. Yellow and white hose of all sizes stretched across the road and lawns. As I got out of the rig to report to command, I could see flames coming from the single-story house and a crew already on the roof cutting a hole to vent the heat and smoke.

One of our firefighters yelled, “Look, the chaplain is here; things are going to be okay.” It wasn’t the first time I was the company’s good luck charm, and it wouldn’t be the last. Firefighters and nurses may be some of the most superstitious people I know.

I cannot tell you the times I got a dirty look from a firefighter or ED nurse when I commented on how things seemed quiet or slow. It seems that if you say that it’s “slow,” they believe it will then get very busy just because you mentioned it. Now, you will become the bad guy. Sometimes they depend on that challenge coin in their pocket or a particular thing they do as they start their shift. At the fire that day, at least for some of them, my presence was what would bring them good luck.

Scott Floyd, author of Crisis Counseling: A Guide for Pastors and Professionals, explains that “magical thinking occurs when a person makes connections between events that are not truly connected.” There was no connection between my being there and the risk/safety issues the firefighters were facing, except that my presence made them feel a little more confident. That confidence in a hazardous situation was worth a lot.

As a chaplain, I often encounter magical thinking. While some of it can be benign, it often reflects some disturbing underlying theology. Floyd says, “Magical thinking is rooted in the belief that God is, at best, distant or displeased and, at worst, angry with us.” Some times are better to address this than others. That day I knew we needed to put out a fire, not get into a theological discussion.

Floyd recommends that when talking to a person about magical thinking, we should point them to God’s character, including his loving kindness, mercy, and grace. The root of the issue is that they feel distant from God and need someone (or something) to be between them who will gain God’s favor. This can be an open door for deeper spiritual discussions—during downtime away from the fire grounds.