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Alert, Sober...

             Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (I Peter 5:8-9)

 

            As I read today’s passage, what leaped to mind was “Open your eyes!” Wake up, look around. The next thing that comes to mind is that sober would hardly describe me at the moment.  Hysterical? That might be a little excessive. Overwrought? Overwhelmed? Yes. It doesn’t help that it’s after midnight, and I can’t fall asleep.  Nope, let something be other than as I want it to be, and I’m throwing a massive pity party, whining and snapping at God – asking Him to reveal to me what’s so terribly wrong with me that all this must go wrong. Who needs “Job’s Friends” or even an enemy? Sometimes, I think I do as good a job as any of them.

            But whether I got sleep or not, I got rest and maybe some sobriety. That’s one of the good things about being overwhelmed. Eventually, your energy levels return to normal – or at least  your brain calms down enough to use the energy to do something other than throw a temper tantrum. The fight or flight impulse runs out of gas. If one has any wisdom, the situation is accepted in the sense that it’s no longer considered an attack. It’s just the way things are.

            And Jesus had Gethsemane, and He was perfect. Since I’m not perfect, I should expect many Gethsemanes. Some of them might be obvious spiritual battles or temptations, but others may be a dead refrigerator. Again, consider Job. He lost his possessions, his children, and his health. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he was tempted with food, safety, and pride/identity before he was tempted with power.

            I wish I could go through life unmolested by circumstances. There was a time when I thought that being unperturbed by circumstances was the goal. One was supposed to be like the swords in so many movies, having gone through a melee without any trace of blood on the blade. Walking through a swamp but looking like I’m stepping out the door to a fancy-dress ball -not a spot on my outfit or a hair out of place, emotionally speaking.  But that’s not nobility. Nobility has more to do with doing what is right and good regardless of your circumstances. It’s being willing to get dirt under your fingernails but not in your heart. And struggles can be the soap that cleans the dirt in our hearts.

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