A Story of Focus
Not everything that goes wrong is the devil’s fault. We must stop casting blame on others for the choices we make on our own.
In an earlier article titled “Going Ape,” I portrayed an attitude that is very much main-stream USA. I also illustrated the apathy and lethargic character of many citizens and churches of America. Anger and frustration were the basic emotions portrayed in “Going Ape.”
My intention was to write about anger as a follow-up to “Going Ape.” I had already begun the illustrative examples, when on a Saturday morning; I had an object lesson that personalized how basic emotions often distort reasoning. During this lesson, it became obvious, that sometimes we let our emotions cloud is reasoning. Usually, the end result prevents us from distinguishing between what is true, and what is thought to be true.
I hope this object lesson in spiritual warfare and self-warfare, offer an understanding of the subtleties of the enemy, as well-as the attitudes we alone develop. It is important to remember, that there is no stone left upturned, that this creature of darkness will ignore. He will exploit every weakness we have until we despair.
Not leaving the human side off the hook, we to, can muster various attitudes without any assistance from the angel of light. Each of us must take responsibility for our own actions and stop casting blame on others. Yes, the forces of darkness prow the earth, searching for those they can devour with their lies. We need to keep in mind that the devil is not omniscient, or omnipresent, unless we believe he is. For the most part, our own desire leads us into error long before the devil and his band of villains arrive. The bottom line is, that all of us have a choice; we can give in to the devil and our own desires, or we can rely on Christ to help us stand firm and see reality clearly through Him.
It was a typical Saturday morning. My wife and I headed for the church to do some grounds work. We arrived with proper tools, ready to combat the liberal population of Weedville. I went straight to the motor pool, choose a riding assault mower, and prepared for the first assault. I fired up the engine and engaged the throttle when the engine began to smoke. At first, I didn’t pay much attention. All of a sudden, a big cloud of blue smoke came shooting out of the front of the engine. I quickly shut the engine down. I stood staring at the engine trying to see anything out of the ordinary. Nothing seemed unusual, so I decided to check the oil level. Retracting the oil stick I discovered that the engine was bone dry. I slowly turned my head and scanned the area for the enemy; none was insight. I returned to the motor pool for some oil and discovered that there were no supplies available. At this point, I was able to deal with the unforeseen delay. I ran to a nearby convenience store to buy a little container of oil. In about 10 minutes I began cutting down the enemy weeds; it was brutal! They offered little resistance; they couldn’t stand up to the awesome power of twelve horses.
Shortly after engaging the Weedville ground forces, I advanced quickly mowing down their meager defenses like a hot knife through butter. All they had to slow me down was little needle winged craft, (mosquitoes), and a thick blanket of water, (humidity). My assault went unabated, and I assumed victory to be nearby. When suddenly Weedville was re-enforced with a regiment of aerial watercraft
(Rain drops), that employed a smoke screen (steam). I quickly fell back to a more secure position in a nearby armored shed. I was thunderstruck! How did they communicate my assault without me detecting their natural communication methods?
I decided to check out the vehicle while I waited. I looked at the vehicle’s right tire, when I noticed it took a hit; the tire was flat. There were other battles to fight, and I’m not approving of un-necessary delays. Besides, how did the hit the tire without my knowing it? I began to think that General Red Devil, the Weedville leader and villain to any soldier of light, was up to his covert scheming. Any sense of harmony began to slowly fade away, as the sensation of his presence began to surround me. I felt as if my body was caving in, so I began to build up steam to keep my body whole. I wasn’t prepared for this delay, and besides, the repair tools were several clicks east, “WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO!” I decided if I should get the tools or not when my Commander and Chief (my wife) arrived. I explained what took place and my current frustration and she commented, “I’ll get the tools! I need to take care of something anyway.” I was delighted! About the time the general left, the water attack subsided, and I decided to counterattack their flank with a wheelbarrow. There was debris on the parking lot from the first assault that needed to be disposed of. I pulled the wheelbarrow from its resting place and headed for the parking lot. I noticed that my forward motion was restrained. I looked the wheelbarrow over and saw that its tire was also FLAT. About then, the pressure I was building inside was giving way. My body began to shrink as I let out the steam on a nearby tree. That was it, I was convinced, and that it is the Red Devil causing all this grief, by slowing my progress and causing me to lose pressure. I never once considered that equipment breaks down from time-to-time. I was making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Just a few moments later, the Commander and Chief returned with the tools. She was concerned about my maturing attitude and that I might take this situation far too seriously, forgetting about other scheduled projects. Not considering my actions, or how she felt, I decided to cast the responsibility for the problems on someone other than me or fate. Well, needless to say, I once again thought, “THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT.” I was convinced that all this was a staged performance to upset my plans to serve the Lord Christ.
With that issue settled, I decided to have both flats repaired. I was concerned for the wheelbarrow’s tire. I could see battle scars from previous encounters with the Weedville troops. I counted at least eight plugged scars. After seeing the battle scars, I knew that this barrow had the metal necessary for additional combat. I place the tires in the trunk of my land rover and headed for the repair shop.
While transporting the tires, I began thinking about how I was being prevented from completing the mission. I KNEW that I would have to wait for an hour or more before the equipment would be repaired. I also KNEW that the repair was going to cost more than I was wanted to pay. I arrived at the repair facility and was warmly greeted by on-site mechanics. I told them my trouble and they agreed to take a look. I watched them work. They reminded me of surgeons, all huddled around the tires trying to determine the best course to gouge me. I began sensing things getting worse, I saw dollar signs covering the exterior of the tires and a big smile of their faces as they handed me the bill before releasing the tires.
Just about the time I finished that thought, one of the mechanics told me that the tires were just low
on air and that there was no charge for the air. I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked him, “Are you sure?” He confirmed that I could take them back and us them as I normally would. Boy, was I relieved? “You know, I didn’t even consider what I thought prior to getting the GOOD NEWS.” All I thought was gee am I lucky or what, NO CHARGE, thank you Jesus!
On my way back to the battlefield, I was thinking about the article “Going Ape,” and the anger it displayed. I looked at my situation and reasoned, “Gee, here was a situation where events led me to a series of wrong conclusions.” I saw flat tires. I saw the enemy causing it. I overreacted by projecting the worst that could happen. I sanctioned no responsibility for the way I felt, the attitude I developed, or even the thoughts I birthed.
I considered the repair facility and how the tires were merely, “low on air,” not damaged beyond repair and certainly not usable again. I pondered how these tires were filled with air and returned to full service again. Then, I realized how a false perception of a situation can lead someone down the wrong path. I understood that the tires were indeed flat, that was certainly true enough. However, the reality of that truth was distorted by my frustration and anger, over what I believed was taking place instead of being responsible for my growing despair.
You see, we could say that we perceive the church as flat, not performing its job as it should, or because of unforeseen resistance, or poor leadership. We can become impatient and intolerant with it by losing our head and venting steam inappropriately. We can even become the suspicious and intolerable of one another. However, not all situations are what we discern them to be. For the most part, all situations perform as designed; the way we wish it to perform. We just need to be a little more patient and forgiving by accepting situations when they arise for what they are and not what we want them to be.
Just as taking the tires to the repair shop to discover that they were in decent shape and just needed a little air. We might consider our attitudes about the church and one another. Instead of becoming angry and frustrated with a perceived wrong we could approach the condition through prayer, asking the Lord to restore the air.
After all, He’s the great physician, and He can fill the church up with the breath of life. Yes, it may be flat, but it’s not beyond repair. “We should give praise to God the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ! in everything we do. He will bring us alongside someone else who has gone through rough times as well. “We have plenty of tough times ahead for following the Messiah, but no more so than good times as well, we will get a full measure of that, also.”
The church can complete its mission if it is filled up with Jesus Christ. As for us, we need to build up the church instead of criticizing it, because of a perception of what we believe to be true. Besides, to criticize blinds us all to the revelation of Jesus Christ concerning His church, since WE ARE HIS CHURCH!
Copyright (C) Michael A. Kovach
The Christian Underground Journal
November 11, 1994
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