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Like a Polar Bear at the Beach…

polarbearbeachEarly this morning I awoke to the thought that I had forgotten to fix a section of fence the cows had knocked down. I had found the broken board the day before and propped it back up temporarily until I could get back to it with hammer and nails. It was a crucial middle board in a three rail fence, so if it were not fixed soon, there would be cows running loose; a picture that could rouse a near death farmer to his feet. Knowing how my mind works, I knew it was senseless to try to get back to sleep since all I would do was toss and turn with the possibility of cows getting loose; so I got up in the predawn darkness to mend what needed mending. It was during this time, while I was feeding the cows after having fixed the broken fence, I realized something quite obvious, but yet profound, “Feeding black angus cattle in total darkness is akin to trying to find a polar bear in a blackangusblizzard; dangerous and unpredictable.”

It’s during times like this that analogies to life come to mind, and this morning was no different.

I realized that as Christians, we often find ourselves one with those around us, not standing out but finding comfort in being with those like ourselves, “The black angus cow in the darkness.” It’s not until the light of dawn that we can clearly see the dark bovine and distinguish it from the night, so it is with our walk in faith; we cannot be seen until we step out of the safe confines of our sanctuaries and expose ourselves to the light of the world. In other words, who’s going to know what we are preaching until we go out into the world and seek out those who need to hear the Word of God, sometimes for the first time. Staying in the comfortable settings of our beloved congregation is great for personal moral, but fails to reach those who are most lacking in what we are all called to do as Christians, go out and tell the story of Christ, sharing his love and plan of salvation to the ends of the earth. From the scripture of Matthew, this is the road less traveled, the narrow way. We must find a way to break free of our often self-imposed restriction and tempt fate, and allow ourselves to set loose our beliefs. However, the thought of evangelizing to others is as frightening to many as it is to those who find it difficult to attend church, having either been gone for a long time or never having gone in the first place; a daunting prospect where we feel out of our element. This is exactly what Jesus was preaching to his disciples that day when he told them, the road less traveled would not be easy, for if it were, it would be more traveled. I have found it personally challenging to go into the secular world in settings that we tend to shy away from sharing the Word; those places where scripture is usually the last thing to come to mind. There are those around us, people in our own community, who have that talent, that innate ability to boldly go to places they’ve never known. Men like Chance Walters who leads Chance Walters Ministries and Steve Gaines with Blits Worldwide, blitsboth great evangelist and missionaries who lead others in urban ghettos and remote villages in South America, respectively. They take with them the knowledge of faith and you can see from their travels that they become stronger from God’s Grace. There are men like Darrin Locklear, brave enough to step into ministry full time, giving the reigns of life completely to God and finding himself leading a church in a place he had never known until called. These are just a few examples of those around us that have taken the call and done more than attend their Sunday services, awakening to the dawning of a faith upon the pastures of countless souls needing their sustenance and message of salvation and eternal life.

Yet, we aren’t all made from the same cloth and to those who’ve never preached a word of the Bible, this could be akin to a polar bear going to the beach. We too must go to places that challenge our faith and make us realize what we should focus on in our daily walk of life with Christ. Our focus becomes sharpened when we realize what we are missing. I’ve personally found myself feeling inadequate in the face of people who spend their entire lives living on the outside of faith, practicing their sins without restraint day in and day out. These hardened hearts are the ones that are the toughest to reach; the ones that have their physical needs met, yet are spiritually lost. These are the people many fear when stepping out from the pew and going into the broad daylight of the world around us.

Yet, God gives each of us talents, gifts that we are to use to reach those whom make us feel uncomfortable. These are the bridges we must build to reach out to those hardened hearts, breaking through until there becomes a shimmer of light from which hope can begin to grow. It is up to us to recognize these blessings and to then boldly go where we dare not, becoming the polar bear on the beach, the black angus in the bright sun, each visible, each no longer hidden from sight but now out in the world for all to see.

This is our mission as Christians.

As Paul said, what causes us pain, only makes the blessings from God stronger, and so it is. We must take with us the knowledge that to make a difference, we have to be brave enough to go where the spirit leads and the good Lord will take us.

What is your calling? Have you dared to step out into the light or are you waiting for someone to lead you?

13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Matthew 7: 13-14

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Sling Blade of Life

Armor10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  – Ephesians 6:10-17

 

Today, we finally spent some much needed time at home. There is so much to catch up on here on the farm having spent most of the summer on the road or away from home. One of the first things that was past due was clearing some of the fence rows. I know there is more than I could do in a day, so we started with the one closest to the house. Knowing that most of my 2-cycle engine tools are in need of a small engine mechanic, I forewent the option of using a motorized blade for the good old fashioned “Sling Blade”. For those of you unfamiliar with a “Sling Blade”, it consists of a straight axe handle connected on one end to a blade that is about six inches in width and two feet in length. The blade is straight for about a foot, then curves in an arc at the end, providing a slicing side and a hook side. When sharpened and handled properly, one swing of this ominous tool can slice through a wrist size sapling in one fell swoop.

Back when we first bought the land that our farm now sits on, I cleared much of the tract from the home site to the pond with the Sling Blade, a stretch of about three hundred yards long and a hundred yards wide. Needless to say, I became very proficient with this weapon. Today, as I slung my blade at the weeds and thick brush that had grown up over a very abundant summer of rain, I found my technique still intact but the muscles that were needed to maintain this level of efficiency had long ago vanished. Nearing the end of the fence row we were working, I had to rest more and more until it was apparent, this would be all I could do for the day. Thankfully, I had two very useful helpers on hand, my son and daughter, each helping to carry the debris to the burn pile we were building. Back in the day, I use to haul all my own brush after cutting it. Today, I would have accomplished much less had I not had them with me. As time marches on, what we give up in strength  and ability, we sometimes accumulate in blessings like children who eventually make up the difference in what we once were and who we are now.

As we travel around the country spreading our faith and gospel, we tell the story and words of Jesus throughWarriorForGod song and the written word hoping to reach those who need to hear this story or be reminded of their walk with faith. As we grow in our faith, we hope the path we have chosen helps our children to see how they too can become stronger and greater in their faith. As with each swing of the Sling Blade, the body becomes stronger and more proficient; thus it is with the Word, each time it is visited or spoken, we also become stronger and more proficient at telling others. As with time, we eventually leave our children’s side and allow them to discover life on their own, whether it is in school or out in community. When they are away, we can rest in knowing that we have laid the foundation for them to build upon. However, when we hear of them coming home from someplace we had thought to have been a safe haven having experienced an influence we might have considered very undesirable, we have to sit up and take notice. The fact that they report to us, their parents, of this event having felt uncomfortable, for example, hearing the teacher’s poor choice of educational experience, we in some degree take comfort knowing we have in part done our job. We have given them the tool to use in life to understand what is acceptable in our beliefs and what is not. They have slung their blade and felt it hit its mark. Yet, as much as we try to witness to others and evangelize the Word of God, it brings me sadness to know that behind our backs, the ones we thought to be on our side, have been influenced by either the media or through other avenues to the point, the felt the educational tool they chose to show was okay in their opinion. In this manner, it tells me we have so far to go in what we do in order to spread Christianity.

Christians are under attack every day, not only from the world, but even from those within our own circles who have apparently been misguided by whatever influences. We cannot afford to stand still and assume every person who claims to be a Christian is fully understanding of the Word and has truly accepted Christ; it is these people whom can be as dangerous as the one who are out to end your faith or even worse, your life. Satan doesn’t stop at the door, if allowed, he will come on in and make himself at home, waiting for any opportunity to enter into your life and bring you down.

As time goes by, what we begin to lose, we must replace with those whom will someday take our place; our children. We cannot simply assume that they will learn to swing their blades of righteousness on their own but rather we must show them, teach them and pass along what it is to fulfill the path that God has given us through his only son, Jesus Christ, so that we may be forgiven for our sins, and be saved through his Grace, for it is by this Grace alone that we will get to Heaven and it is by Grace that we must live our lives.

Do you have a fence row in your life to clear and will you get your children to help?

Tomorrow is a new day, don’t let it pass without giving someone the opportunity to hear the Word of God and to know life eternal; it is our job.

 Sling that blade.

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