Sometimes I feel like I'm the girl in the plastic bubble. I live in my tight woven little world with like minded people. I'm so happy in my bubble. "Everyone" else is a Christian. We are all like minded, "good" people who love God and do our best. It is a wonderful bubble.
I step outside of my bubble into the unfiltered world and this is what I see. A 14 year old boy who feels sexually harassed by a gay 15 yr old boy murders him. A transgendered "man" gives birth to a child. And even in my own local paper the obituary of a 16 month old baby boy who is survived by his "loving mother." On the front page of the same section is her photo as she is charged in his death.
I need protection from that unfiltered world, just as the "boy in the plastic bubble" did. And while he looked like an alien in his bubble suit, I feel like an alien without one. But at the end of movie, the boy (now older) decides to see if his immunity is built up. He steps outside of his house unprotected, no bubble, and rides off with his girlfriend on her horse.
The bible is clear that we don't need a bubble for protection either. What we need is God's armor, "so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground."
So today I am praying for the world, that I might help show God's light in the darkness. And I especially pray that you and I, our families, and our children may be covered by God's armor. Because I think the day of evil has arrived.
Psalm 39:12 -- Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were.
Ephesians 6:13-18 - - Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
1 John 5:19 -- We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
17 comments:
I think you could be right Kelly. It really seems to me that the day of evil has indeed arrived.
But there is still good in the world. We just have to step outside our collective bubbles and shine our light.
It really is hard to go outside the home and church today with all the yuck in the world, but God does call us to do that. We just have to have that full armor on, like you said.
I've just caught up on some great reading here at Wonder Woman Wonders!
I too enjoy my "bubble". I am so thankful for the armour God provides us and that we can be a beacon for Him to shine through!
I have enjoyed reading through your last few posts. Well said. And by the way, I took the "So Fabulous" post the right way. I think your husband didn't read it the same way because typically men have to work to keep their ego under control and women more often have to battle low self-esteem. My observation anyway...
It's really sad that the news is so bad I cannot - will not watch it in front of my 12 year old daughter. When I do get the chance to watch, I pray through the entire mess.
Jesus said, "In this world you will have many tribulations, but take heart, for I have overcome the world."
Amen.
We all like to put on our bubbles sometimes. Then it becomes our "pit" or our "cave". I know I get stuck in mine. It's safer and easier. Yet, we need to be be like John Travolta (unless he starts acting like Tom Cruise) and just breath, be brave and go out into the world, trusting in God and praying for his protection.
P.S. Although I still prefer my "pit" whenever possible :)
ADHD Me....We've been pulled out of the pit! And we can take refuge in the rock. And we rock over the ROCK!
Thanks for including the I John verse--the evil days have been with us since eternity began. The promise, though, is that we have overcome, because we love the Overcomer! (I John 5:18--"...but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one DOES NOT TOUCH him.")
Praises for God's Word today!
I long to be protected from the evil. We can't even watch the news in my house because of all the horrible things going on everyday. I wish my four year old son didn't have to live with all the evil surrounding him.
Thanks for the insight and prayer!!
If we focus on the work of the Holy Spirit, we can't help but see that the Spirit works to restrain evel in today's world. We are able to still see good in our world because of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, I think you are right. And what's so hard for me is to remember that God can redeem each of these people. I know in my head that He can, but I don't know if my actions always demonstrate that belief.
We just had one high schooler murdered by two others from another school here. It's senseless and it's sad.
Thanks for sharing this thought today. And may God bless us all as we grow in him.
Susan
Hi Kelly,
Gosh my post today is similar to yours! Except I'm surrounded be non-believers, with the exception of a few close friends. It is hard to imagine the world being any worse, but I know we haven't seen everything yet. I am so grateful that I have my Daddy with me, but I am sad for those who don't know him, and are immersed in our modern "culture". The news is crazy, there's always sad things taking place (I saw the story about the baby that was killed, too). We need to be spending a lot of time interceding for these people. I know I don't do it enough. Thanks for coming by my blog the other day, nice to meet you!
Angela
Rebecca Ingram Powell blogged a great response to this blog over at her site today. Be sure to go over to Rebecca's Place and check it out.
http://rebeccaingrampowell.blogspot.com/2008/08/bubbling-over.html
Yeah, it's really tempting to want to curl up and "stay safe." But we are called to so much more. Sometimes I don't feel very brave, but I'm learning that being brave doesn't mean you don't feel uncomfortable or even scared, it means you push through it. Great post.
Oh Kelly, if I could stay in my bubble,what a happy camper I'd be.
But like you,I put on the armor of God to face the things of this world. So let's polish up our armor and Shine,Shine,Shine!
Kelly -- I know that bubble feeling. I loved it and I wanted to stay right in it, but the Lord had other ideas. I went from my wonderful little bubble into working with abused children -- oh, what a difference.
The time has come -- put on that armor. We have some work to get done.
Great post.
I was just thinking the other day about how I am always surrounded by Christians and interacting with them only. Not that I think that is bad, but when I get out around the "normal" people, you know, the unchurched, I find myself realizing just what trouble the world is in.
I believe we miss that by staying in our "Bubbles". I tend to forget that there are people all around my community that do not know the Lord and find themselves in some real hard places.
Thanks for reminding me to look around and find them. Also, I need to remember God's protection is covering me and my family. No need to fear!!
Love and Blessings,
Starr
I remember my "bubble life." I recall a prison ministry in our church decades ago. I wondered how anyone could have that much faith. Now I'm right in the middle of gang ministry, prison ministry...you name it and I'm there. God is amazing. When He knows He can trust us with His dearest ones He will equip us to leave our "bubble lives."
Great post. As you so well write daily: Trust Him, Trust His timing.
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