“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”
~ C.S. Lewis
An intriguing quote...
Sometimes… I forget we are at war.
I forget about the armor I have been given and the weapon I am to use.
One thing I cannot forget, I cannot go back.
Many know of physical battles, but this is so much more than that.
I am responsible for protecting my soul, my family, my friends, and my name.
Every day I am reminded why I cannot afford to let my guard down.
And yet… I still manage to forget.
I for get we are comrades in arms. I forget there is friendly fire. There are prisoners. There are spies. There are those who are AWOL. There are casualties.
Do I forget because I want to? It’s possible, but I don’t think so. Each time I am reminded, I kick myself for forgetting.
Do I forget because I am distracted? Most likely. Satan uses all the tricks he can, and he has many of them. Wolves in sheep’s clothing, an angel’s guise, false teachers, and all those opposed to Christ. What else would you expect from one going about as a roaring lion seeking those whom he may devour? He will stop at nothing to take as many of us down with him when our Lord returns.
So why are we not more careful?
Why are we so easily beset and ensnared? Even so soon removed from Him that called us, just as the Galatians.
Every day we have a choice, though most of the time we don’t’ realize it. One makes that choice through a series of choices made through the day.
Whether you decide to take time to read the Bible and pray in your hectic day. Whether you decide to stop and help someone in the middle of your schedule. Whether you decide to go about your day with a positive attitude. All of these are “minor” decisions that we make every single day. Most of the times, without realizing it, we make the wrong decision.
“I’m late for class, I can stop and pray later.”
“I don’t know what to say to them. I’m sure they’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“I have a headache, I was up all night studying for a test I probably failed, and this assignment needs to get done in ten minutes. I’m really not in the mood to talk to anyone right now.”
See? It’s simple enough, isn’t it?
You’re not the only one who’s been down that road (or one similar to it).
Believe me, this applies to me as much as it does anyone else.
I have done my best not to stray from the path.
It is difficult at times. Some times I think I can’t see the path at all. It is in those times I realize I’m not really looking for it.
Guard yourself. Guard your tongue.
Maybe some would say I take life too seriously. After all, these are the “best years” of my life. Right? Personally, I don’t think I take it seriously enough. Sure, it’s ok to relax every now and then. There are times to stop and smell the roses God gave us. There is a time and place for everything. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us this well enough.
One of my favorite devotional songs is All In All.
It gives me hope.
I really like Psalms 3, particularly verse 2, 3, and 6.
It reminds me what I’m fighting for.
Psalm 143:8
“Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”
We have always been at war, whether we realized it or not. We have decided whose side we are on, whether good or evil.
If you chose good, you swore your allegiance to the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Victor of this war.
You know the consequences for denying your loyalty and abandoning your duty.
And yet… we forget.
There is Always Hope for we are Never Alone.
The battle belongs to the Lord.
Strength and Honor!
