Armed and Dangerous!
Is it just me or are we surrounded by gun talk--buried ammunition, common people utilizing the black market, and conspiracy theories within the government? Maybe such talk is more prevalent amongst country-loving, agrarian-minded, hunting-dependent, landowners. But it seems to be everywhere.
Hilariously, sitting in a recent Mom's night out weapons became part of the conversation. It always amazes me when my sex is armed and dangerous. I'm glad to say, I feel safe knowing some of my good friends are only a phone call away!
But another arming is more concerning and confirming to me as of recent.
Confirming: A group of college friends and I have recently been sharing our life stories of the last 20 years on FB chat. The stories have at times been heart wrenching with lives broken and piece by piece picked up and put back together and as each person put their life in God's Hands, He was able to use the pieces to bring Glory to Himself and in turn benefit individual's lives.
Honestly, most of us have that broken detail somewhere in our distant past. But one detail remains constant: the preservation and work of Scripture in each story. Whether it was a verse, a Truth about God, or the evidence of it upon the life of someone helping an individual through a trial. As I read, it is the common thread of each of these stories.
If you listen closely, often those who don't even know Him will also have some "ammunition" buried, waiting for retrieval. Why? Because it works, it's Living (to those who know its Source) and it gives Hope! How thankful I am for parents who understood that and it was valued in talk, time was set aside to "burry" it, it was valued as if on the black market, it was talked about in our circles, it was truly troubled over. Time and time again it has come back to me, and saved me. This is what I desire for my children too.
Concerning: I recently saw a cartoon of children sitting in church anticipating what they would hear. The cartoonist pictured a serpent like creature wrapped around the young person's body, and on the creature were labels of cares that would be on the mind of a child, choking the truth out. The symbolism was saying that sometimes we struggle with hearing truth because we have spent so much time troubled with the cares of this world that we leave no room for truth. Some of these troubles we should take the time to work through but many we borrow unnecessarily.
Although the cartoon was intended for the young, it was very convicting to me. How often, we "trouble" ourselves with so much that pertains to this lifetime. St. Patrick's Day, watching the Chicago river being turned green (just one small example) I couldn't help but to think, that sure is quite a bit of "trouble" for a very temporal thing. Fun, yes, but for what?
This is concerning to me because every detail of my life that I trouble over, I'm communicating to the young in my watching that this is worthy. Not all trials (tribulations) we have are of our own design but we certainly can choose how "troubled" we'll be with them. Our level of "interchange" with the "troubles" of this world we certainly have control over. This interchange of troubling over trouble has concerned me personally and I wish instead to be armed with Truth.
Truth is, all this trouble has already been overcome, we just need to be convinced of that. A sort of amnesty takes place, He (Jesus) which all truth is represented by, has taken car of all. As we surrender all peace is awarded. Knowing this makes a world of difference.
that in me (Jesus) you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation (trouble).
But take heart; I have overcome the world.
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