You see him adorned with scars from the battlefield but his smile shows just how much he lives for this fight...
The world will punish you and beat you into the ground. You can get caught up in the overwhelming circumstances as they pull at you like a mighty undertow. Situations in life happen to the best of us, things that literally break us down and try to pull us apart.
I've heard it said that we're in a war, a battle, a never ending fight with the enemy and just when you think salvation has come along, that you're born again and everything is kosher, it's really not. In fact, if you're not paying attention, you can find yourself with a very big, very visible target on your back.
One minute you're riding high on life and the next it's one small thing like misplacing your keys. Then it's another little thing like you're 5 minutes late to work. Then on the way to work you realize you're late but now you have to stop and get gas. Then you realize that this was not the morning what-so-ever to be late because out of all the days, you couldn't be late today for that big meeting. Then you're in that meeting and Janice is there whispering to another colleague but you're fairly certain it was about you and you hate Janice anyways because she doesn't do her work and she talks on the phone all day but when stuff hits the fan, it's suddenly your fault. OR something like that.
I believe that in this war, we are being tested and tried by the enemy. We are being called out by a bully who doesn't fight fair and pulls NO punches. Alone we are weak. His slights and his attacks are like a domino effect where your perfect day becomes a dart board of fecal matter.
And through this we must realize that we are powerless to stop the losing battle. We are the Israelite's standing across the battlefield from one big nasty mo-fo.
Sometimes, more often than not, when this domino effect happens or we come face to face with a Goliath we assume we're being punished from God. Even better is the, "hey Lord, why hast thou forsaken me," attitude. Why I do think we are tested from time to time by God, I do not think he bring unpleasantries into ourlives purposefully. (Even if he did, he's God and he's got a much better explanation than I do, as to why.)
But in this storm, you may look around and ask yourself, how or why. Especially when you've found yourself trying to change.
Or trying to become a better person...
or a better Christian...
or just trying to be a Christian period.
I've come to realize that God never forsakes us. I'm hard headed and I'm pretty sure I've tried enough stuff to fully test this theory. But alas, I look around and he is ever there in the details of my life. Through my trials and my tribulations. My defeats and my victories. My short comings and my abundant blessings.
God even went so far as to say, I will never leave you, nor forsake you! (Heb 13:5)
We have to realize that when things do go wrong and you feel like that dart board mentioned earlier, you have to remember that even though we are not skilled enough to win the fight, Jesus already won. That Goliath goes down every time in the name of the Lord. God is unstoppable. To fight him would be stupid...
... not to mention, who could beat God? I mean, he's God. Here's the other thing, no matter how many times you get attacked, you have an immeasurable source of strength. You have a secret weapon of faith and believing in this wonderful God.
Jesus took the scars and won the fight. He lived for the fight. And if you take away anything from my ramblings today, consider this for your next fight. You died, and it's not you who lives, but Christ who lives in you. Because Christ is in you, you are well abled to fight.
See you on the front line.
