Sunday, February 15, 2015

A Raging War and the Wind.

There I stood in the center of a raging war. I was completely unarmed except for the mask I so tightly held on to, as if it held some sort of significance. I held out the hope that it could at least be used as a means of defense. When in reality it was only a flimsy mask, useless on the battlefield. I only had it because they told me I should have it. All the other children in the war had one, too. Maybe we thought we could fool the enemy by pretending to be someone else. Looking back, it seems so silly, but at the time I had a lot of faith in that mask.
The enemy was surrounding us, we were overwhelmed. 
A fearsome beast came bounding toward me in a most vicious manner, and I braced myself.
I set my mask in place and stood my ground as I watched the beast approach.
As it closed in on me, the fear inside me grew. 
My stance masqueraded bravery, but I was faint with fear.
Finally I gave in. Who was I to fight a beast? The battlefield is no place for a child.
I crouched down in my desperate fear and waited for the wind.
The wind always came at just the right time and carried the beasts away, remarkably leaving me unharmed every time.
Finally, as the beast made it's final leap toward me, the wind came.
As always, it violently carried the enemy away from me, while only tickling me with the faintest breeze, and gently stripping my face of the mask.
I always wondered how something so strong could be so gentle at the same time.
I suppose it isn't something for a child to understand.
All I know is that I am weak, the mask is useless, and the wind is unseen but reliable and far stronger than the enemy.

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As children of God, every day we stand in the middle of a raging war. We are attacked by all sorts of evil. We struggle and try and push and give it all our might to stand against the enemy. The world tells us to wear a mask, it suggests that if we pretend to be something else, perhaps the struggle won't be so difficult. But in the end we crouch down in fear and wait for our help. Our strong, reliable help. We can't see Him with our eyes, but in our desperate need He never fails to show up in time.
He gently removes our masks, letting us know that we are accepted as we are.

(((In the story, the child was completely unarmed.
I want to state that it was written that way in order to emphasize our great need for God.
In reality, I'm truly grateful that God has indeed equipped us with the Holy Spirit and His Word to help us win our daily battles in life.)))

And praise God that the war has already been won!