My life is a busy one, happy, but busy. With so many rambunctious boys in the house we are well acquainted with accidents of many kinds. Rarely does a day go by that something doesn't get broken, or cracked, dirtied, tainted, or bloodied. It's usually the last one that concerns me the most. As long as no one is on fire, no bones are showing, or there's no free-flowing blood loss, I can handle most anything. When my then 3 year old climbed to the top of the 30 foot windmill at the ranch, did I panic? Nope, just told him to get his little monkey butt down from there. ( ok, you got me, there was a little panic on that one) When the 5 year old painted various body parts purple, my response was a heavy sigh and lots of soap. When the 8th grader went through 2 hours of football practice after he broke his hand my biggest concern was the fact that it meant I wouldn't get to watch him play for the rest of the season. Does this make me a failure as a mother? I don't think so. I think it makes me a realist. Kids are going to get hurt, in all kinds of ways, in ways you didn't know were actually possible. (I once heard the story of a small boy just barely able to clear the toilet seat while standing up. You don't want to know what happens if you don't make sure that seat is all the way up. He wishes, to this day, he never procured that little bit of info!!) My point (yes, I do have one, thank you very much!) is for the most part all that's needed is for Mom (in this case, me) to whip out our trusty first aid kit and put things right.
Have you ever really looked into a first aid kit? Mine has all the basics; bandages, antibacterial ointment, hydrogen peroxide, tape, an eye wash solution, you know, the basics. This past Sunday my little 6 year old scamp brought home a different version of this old standby. He had made it Sunday school. All the little bandages had scriptures on them or words like "Jesus heals". There was also a little red heart that said "Jesus loves" with a little mirror in the middle. He was very seriously discussing all this with his father last night. "Dad" he said "do we have a second aid kit?" After the chuckling stopped I paused a minute to really think about that.
When troubles hit and things go south what do you reach for? Do you turn to other people, your pastor, a therapist (not saying that's not appropriate at times!! don't send me mean letters!!!)? Do you grasp for what the doctor is saying or the banker or the accountant or the lawyer and try to use those words to bandage the "boo-boo"? Or do you have a different first aid kit? I want to build a new one for myself. I think I'll put some prayer in there, along with positive confessions, the oil of the Spirit, the antibacterial ointment of repentance and a liberal dose of the word, to be taken daily. I don't want my new kit to become my "second aid kit" or my "third" or even "forth" aid kit, but to be the first thing I reach for. My help is from the Lord (Psalms 54:4). I want that knowledge to be so ingrained in my heart there's no hesitation in times of trouble, and make no mistake, in this life, we will have troubles. (1Peter 4:12) How you respond to those troubles decides if we will limp through them or move victoriously.
So, go. Check your medicine cabinet, make sure you're well stocked. Stock up on something other than bandages with superheros on them. Oh, wait, maybe that's just me! I'll be here doing what I do. You know, singing praises, mopping up spilled juice (or blood, depending.....), dancing before the Lord, sweeping up glass, praying, doing laundry, seeking God, chasing the dog. You know, the usual.
Soaked in His blessings,
Spokenfor
