Invisible Force Fields

Our Timothy (5) is into Legos.

And by "into" Legos, I'm saying he's mildly obsessed.

It's Lego everything over here.

All day long.

6:42 AM:  "Mommy, can I get on Lego.com?"

7:59 AM:  "Mommy, how many rocket boosters do you think the Lego Space Shuttle must use to get into orbit?"

10:23 AM:  "Mommy, do you know where the Lego police dog for the Lego K-9 unit is?  I'm working so hard to finish it!  It's the bestest thing I've ever built!"

10:47 AM: "MOOOOMMMMMMEEEEEEEEE!  Matthew just broke my Lego K-9 unit!"

And so it goes.

All day long.

Mind you.  I am not complaining.

I love to see him concentrating and creating and using his hands and his imagination.

I love Legos.

(Except when I kneel on one.)

Timothy loves for me to play with him. 

(I know...it's hard to understand both my hair and my outfit in this photo.)

Timothy builds fantastic fighter jets and hover-crafts, outfitting each vehicle with police lights and the coolest, most intricate details.

('Cause you never know when you'll need an astronaut AND a police dog.)

As we play, Timothy tells me to be the "bad guy" who is trying to evade the police after robbing the bank. 

I sometimes worry that there's deep, subliminal reasoning for his constant selection of me as the foe.

"Why do I always have to be the bad guy, Timothy?"

Timothy shrugs nonchalantly and replies, "It's just how it has to be, Mommy."

Today I asked him if I could instead be a "bad girl", since I clearly am not a male.

He blew out his breath in mock frustration and said, "Sure.  I'll be right back."

And he came back with her. 

 

Oh that's better, Timothy.   I can reclaim some of my dignity now.

Each time we play, I'll scheme some decidedly "bad-guy" (or girl) plot to trick the police and make a clean getaway and live happily ever after with my Lego gold bars on a faraway tropical island. 

So I lob Lego bombs.

I throw Lego daggers.

I shoot Lego guns and wield Lego swords. 

Yet with each of my defensive actions, Timothy says the same thing:  "That won't work, Mommy!  I have an invisible force field!  You can't get me!" 

I never win.  Ever.

There's something to be said about the phenomenon of invisible force fields.

Do you ever feel like you have one?

Do you mostly feel like you are sorely lacking one?

Me, too.

And I often make the grande mistake of looking at other people's lives and assuming nothing bad ever happens to them; surely they have an invisible force field.   Perfect kids.  Perfect marriage.  Perfect relationships.  Perfect health.  The kind of people who don't even get the collection of nasty grunge where their kitchen faucet meets the sink.

After much self-pity and brooding, I have realized that I'm comparing everyone else's highlight reel of perfection to my behind-the-scenes, day-to-day existence.  (Just saw that analogy on Facebook.  And I love it.)

I have further reminded myself that we all have the same adversary, whether folks believe in Satan or not.

Seems like he penetrates my flimsy force field all the time.

But my force field gets flimsy because I allow it to.

 

The Bible warns us to "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."  (1 Peter 5:8).

When I'm not on high alert and I'm not wielding the mighty sword of God's Word, I get positively pummeled and devastatingly devoured.  

Ever feel that way?

God goes on to tell us:  "Resist him [Satan], standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  (1 Peter 5:9).

You all are, aren't you?  Everyone's trudging through some type of trial or suffering, big or small.  Or both. 

So now that I realize I'm not alone, I'm standing (more) firm in my faith, resisting Satan at every turn in the bend. And since I'm not superstitious nor do I believe in "jinxing", I'm pretty pumped to tell you that IT'S WORKING!

Besides, the last book in the Bible tells us that Satan's own force field of evil and destruction is going to come crumbling down at the feet of Jesus.  And when it does, he's going to scream like a little girl all the way to the Lake of Fire.  

"Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur...[he] will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)

So, while I'm still rushing headlong into this fight, waiting for Jesus to come and do what He's promised to do, I'm going to imagine this is me --  handcuffs poised and all of my tools within arm's reach to bring down the devil's force field in my life...daily.

Take THAT, bad guy.