Are you properly covered?
As some of my faithful followers know, I recently went Paintballing to help celebrate my grandson’s 13th birthday. While I am not unaccustomed to handling firearms, I had never held or shot a paintball gun. The place to which we went, for this excursion, was a paint ball field called Ft. Knox. We had to watch a video on the do’s and don’ts while loading, shooting, and the safety gear that must be worn to avoid serious injury. After the video we were given our vest, facemask, along with our gun and ammo. This is becoming real and I am beginning to question my sanity. What was I thinking playing against young agile people? Encumbered with all this paraphernalia I went to charge my gun with the proper amount of compressed air. I then filled my paint ball hopper with ammunition and was ready to defend myself.
Walking back to the group, several of my grandkids, one who is 6’4” and one who is a Marine, (not knowing I was going to participate) greeted me with surprise and shock. “Are you playing grandma?” one after another asked. “NO! I am about to show at New York’s fashion week,” was my witty comeback. Dress in my husband’s bibs, (with a broken leg zipper) and his jacket, made the statement even more absurd. The referee chose two captains and I was lucky enough to be placed on the team with the Marine and the giant. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
Running in all this stuff was harder than it looked, and my face mask would fog up from the heat off my face. Under NO circumstances are you allowed to remove your mask while on the field. So I squinted, and tried to snake a finger under the edge to see if I could wipe a peep-hole to avoid imminent death. Crouching down and moving with stealth, I managed to take out several of the opposing team. Now I am feeling more confident and was really starting to take more risks. I managed to outlive nearly all my team mates and help win the first two games. Then we moved to the boats, and I was killed without even seeing my attacker. They were sending volleys up in the air, not really aiming at anyone. This fallout of missiles managed to find the top of my head and forcing my surrender. I was unprepared for that type of warfare. I didn’t even see them coming, because the face mask limits my vision, blocking the peripherals. I was taken out by the unseen.
That is what real life is like. Micro-organisms, like germs can lay you flat, and you didn’t even see what hit you. Like in the paintball game, I should have protected myself under a shelter so I could have been saved. With the cold and flu germs, washing hands and taking vitamins will help protect you from the fallout. But truth be told, one day or another a bug or some such thing, will attack you when you least expect it, rendering you helpless.
As parents we need to teach our children the dos and don’ts in life. Teach them to protect themselves against the wiles of the devil, whom you never see coming. Give them the whole armor of God: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6. Don’t send them out in life without protection from the fallout!
We as authors, often have our heroines knocked flat by the unexpected. We have them rally and come back even stronger. If only life were that simple.
“Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:”
Isaiah 28:15
And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
Zachariah 14:12
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Matthew 24:22
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psalms 91:9-11
Love this!