24 Mar
Barbed Wire and Ripped Pants
I used to like Capture the Flag. I was once under the impression that it was a safe and fulfilling way of releasing the aggressiveness built into every man. I don’t believe that now!
Several years ago I attended a youth retreat where we decided to kick off the first night with a game of Capture the Flag. Excitement spread throughout the group as we waited for dark. We gathered in the main lodge for “debriefing” and our youth leader explained the rules to us, but I was so excited I couldn’t listen. I missed the last and most important piece of advice he gave. “And don’t get too close to the boundaries,” he said, “because there is a barbed wire fence on one side that may be hard to see in the dark. Have fun everyone!” I jumped up and raced outside. The whistle blew and I immediately ran to the far side of the field where the tree cover was. It was completely dark now and I knew I would stand a better chance of not being seen if I stuck to the edge. However, the other team had predicted my clever plan and had posted guards to wait. Before I could make it to safety, one of them spotted me! I started running as fast as I could to break their line of defense! My escape took me closer and closer to the edge until SMASH! My world tuned upside down and I felt a sharp pain in my legs, followed by a cold breeze, and then I was lying in the bushes. I found the fence. As I dragged myself to my feet I realized I had no pants; the fence had completely ripped them off! I looked at my knee and saw blood pouring down my leg. A couple of my friends grabbed me and helped me back to the lodge where I spent the remainder of the game being nursed by our youth leader’s wife. Not the game plan I had in mind! And those were my favorite pants too…
There are consequences to not listening. I believe there are many times when God tries to get our attention, but we block him out. We pray, but it’s a one way conversation. I find when I pray I’m usually the one doing all the talking, and I leave the listening up to God. I’ve come to realize that God knows what circumstances I may face tomorrow. He sees around the turn in life’s highway I haven’t come to yet. He sees the danger waiting for me, or the opportunity I may miss if I’m not paying attention. Every day God wants to speak to us, but are we listening? I still have a scar on my leg to remind me of the cost of not listening. I also have spiritual scars from the times I’ve tuned God out. What is God saying to us today, and are we too distracted to hear him?
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Filed in: Relationship, Responding to God, Sin
About the Author
Mike Blackaby is a 22 year old student who plays guitar in a rock band, loves to snowboard, play hockey, and cheers for the Colorado Avalanche. He is terrified of spiders, but loves reading fantasy novels, watching movies, taking road trips, building camp fires, and will do any roller coaster if someone goes with him. You can contact him via Facebook.
Read more about Mike here.
