Out of reach

Out of Reach

God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. There for we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. The Lord almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalms 46:1-3

It is finally fall here in West Texas and it has come in with a vengeance. Lots of churches and organizations have had fall festivals or Trunk or Treats.  One that I saw recently had inflatable games and I did a double take going past one of them. Two people were inside of an inflatable boxing ring. They were wearing huge blow-up sumo wrestling costumes. It was hard enough to stand, much less fight. They would take a “running” start and crash into each other.  Usually one or both would fall after a rebounding bounce from the hit. The people watching were laughing and clapping. It was also quite a sight to watch them get up after they had fallen. The good thing is that it is almost impossible to get hurt in a game like this. It is also almost impossible to help someone up.  Basically, it is good for a laugh but not much else.

In life we have ways of keeping from getting hurt too, but they are not nearly as funny. My fall back (no pun intended) is that I will reject someone before they have a chance to reject me. I don’t get hurt much but I end up feeling lonely and not getting the help or encouragement that I need, or that I could give. I strenuously avoided forming new friendships after someone I love died. I also tend to bury any negative feelings or hurts, though I do this less often than I used to. When it comes to relating to God I think I am more comfortable following the rules that I am risking real relationship because it is somehow less scary than accepting love from a holy God that I might let down. No matter how far I get away from these two ways to insulate myself, in times of stress I find myself drawn back to them. I personally do not turn to drugs or alcohol to numb the edges of pain, but I know that many people do.  Ways that we isolate/ insulate are as numerous as the people who use them.

What can we do instead? First, let’s let God do the protecting. HE has said, that He is our shield and our very great reward.(Genesis 15:1) He also said in Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. There for we will not fear though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. The Lord almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.” Second when it comes to one another, Paul urges us to clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

Be brave with me this week and engage with your brothers and sisters. We might be bruised or even scarred, but we will come out stronger for God’s glory.