Armor Up!

Well, as I see the grass turning greener, the buds on the trees getting fatter, the migrant birds flying through, people walking, jogging, and riding bicycles, I think we can make it official---SPRING IS HERE!!  It seems like we had a very long winter but at the same time, it also allows us to be even more grateful for sunshine, and the beauty God provides all around us!!
 
As I was watching my grandsons on their bikes and all their neighborhood friends zooming around on theirs’, it sort of reminded me of what our heavenly Father goes through with us.  Moms were saying, “Get on your helmets and for pity sakes---SLOW DOWN!”  The kids were flying down the sidewalks sometimes coming within inches of each other as they swerved around dogs, balls, and one another.  The phrase, “It’s really better if you don’t watch” came to mind! J
 
I am certain God watches over our lives in so much the same way as parents guard their children.  As we dodge in and out with our busy lives, sometimes narrowly missing a dangerous situation, all because we are focused on everything we are scheduled to do and not on what we are doing.  “Look out, the light is turning red!”  “Be careful, that car is stopping ahead of you!”  “Deer…there’s a deer!!” “Don’t trip on that curb!” The list goes on and on as God continues to surround us with His protection.  
 
However, sometimes---just as our own children and grandchildren don’t listen to us—we fail to heed the warnings of our heavenly Father.  We too need to “armor up” and get our protective gear on as we zig and zag through our daily lives.  Ephesians Chapter 6 reminds us of God’s instructions as He cares for us.   “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 
 
Yes, we’ll fall, we’ll get skinned up, and God may even reprimand us for our own good, but through it all He molds us into exactly what He wants us to become.  He has a plan for each one of us and will reveal that plan to us as we stay centered in Him!
 
Enjoy God’s beauty as it unfolds all around us!  May He richly bless you this day and always….
 
In His Love,
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved