Watch Your Back

I know a man with a bumper sticker that reads, “I’ve Worked Hard All My Life. I Finally Got It All Together, And Now I Can’t Remember Where I Put It.” I felt just about that brokenhearted last weekend, as I laid in bed too sick to care about anything. I had just been bragging about how I’d dodged all the illnesses going around and was quit proud of my health. My whole life, it’s rare to find me ill enough to put a hold on everything and simply lay down in defeat. It seems though, that about every ten years, during the change of fall to winter weather, my tonsils decide to rebel with a full-blown attack on my entire well-being. No cough or congestion, not even a small sneeze suggesting the onset of a cold, oh, no, nothing that kind. They attack with infection and toxins throughout the body making me feel like I’d been hit by a train, producing temperatures above one hundred and screaming out with pain every time I swallow. So, if you missed me in your mailbox last week, now you know why. Well, I missed writing and must admit feeling rather awkward not doing my normal Saturday routines and missing Sunday worship. I guess our good health is always resting in the perils of time.
Two robins were sitting in a tree. “I’m really hungry,” said the first one. “Let’s fly down and find something to eat for lunch.” The other agreed, so they flew down and found a nice plot of newly plowed ground that was full of worms. They ate and ate and ate until they could eat no more. “I’m so full, I don’t think I can fly back up into the tree,” said the first one. “Let’s just lay back here and bask in the warm sun for a little while,” said the second. “Sounds like a great idea,” said the first. So they plopped down, basking in the warm sun. No sooner than they had fallen asleep, when a big fat tomcat jumped them and gobbled them down. As the cat sat washing his face after his meal, he let go with a loud purr and thought to himself, “I just love Baskin-Robins!”
[1 Peter 4] I must admit, as I laid in bed feeling completely helpless and thinking that just a microscopic bug could do this to me, life isn’t easy to deal with sometimes even though I might be doing all the right things. Paul reminds us at the end of his letter to the Ephesians that our struggles in this life not only deal with the physical perils of the world, but “…against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6: 12-13) I think that’s what Peter is trying to get across to us here. No matter how good we are, no matter how well we practice the will of God in our day to day life, trials are going to come our way to discourage and attempt to defeat us in our righteous living. Peter says we should not be surprised as though something strange were happening to us; it’s completely normal for the world to attack our way of life. He encourages you and I to endure these trials and hang on to the end, for they are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us. No matter how hard we struggle in our physical well-being, let’s face folks, it’s still a losing battle. Take your vitamins, eat right, wash your hands, do all the right things and some microbe is going to crawl in and break you down. Peter warns us in the next chapter (5: 6-9) that even though we may be doing everything right in the eyes of God, our spirit must still be on alert because “…Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Resist him; stand firm in your faith; and he will go away. Amen!