April 26, 2013 - Mr. Armadillo

YEA, it's Friday and our work week is fast closing. Actually, Friday is now my day off as you can probably tell by the lateness of my blog. So I am having coffee, reading the Word, re-reading Psalm 18 and reminding myself how much I love God and am so grateful for his rescue procedures at various times in my life. How about you? If you haven't read this Psalm lately, try to take a moment and read it in the New Living Translation. When I read this, I smile and feel so protected. I know that God chose certain stories to communicate with us as we would need a good round of encouragement on a regular basis. Thanks, Father. This morning let's talk about those "armadillos" that invade your territory while you sleep. Now maybe you live in a place where none such creature has dominion, but I cannot say that. And I always know that what happens in the natural can absolutely manifest in the realms of our spirits. In fact, that's what the scripture declares. So I was pondering (although I saw some armadillos on YouTube marching through the yard during the day), how wretched that they wage war on my yard while I am resting. I am supposed to be sleeping peacefully and dreaming of almond flour pancakes and bowls of watermelon only to discover that my yard has been impaled by one creature. That is so not fair. The capture and removal of Mr. Armadillo has become almost a joke and yet a problem that seems to escape every trap, every plan, and every attempt at removal. How can something SO small win this war? Are these creatures intellectually brilliant and I on the opposite end of the spectrum? Nope - but they do have the advantage. I CANNOT see them while they wage war, as I am asleep. How many of you know it's easier to fight something you can see and have the correct tools to defeat? But how many of you know many of our own excuses fall right into this description? I always tell people, "if you make excuses for your issues, you get to keep them." I've shared that before. But here's my new insight - I feel that many of our excuses are not visible, "in our face," tangible enemies. Many of our excuses are generational, lack of correct information, defeatism monsters that love to hide in the shadows of our reasoning. "Is that really true?" "Could that really be that bad for me?" "Just because my doctor says 10 pounds makes a difference, another doctor probably would tell me something else." Know what that is? It's called being asleep while the armadillo destroys our yard. Yep! Making excuses about your health can eventually create an ugly and messy "yard" that seems to have no hope of stopping the intruder. Let's stay alert and informed. The foods we eat are often laced with preservatives that our bodies were never meant to process. Just because you can't see the armadillo doesn't mean he's not destroying your property. I am like a crazy, "attack the armadillo" person right now. I check every morning to determine his path and make my new plan. I have eyes wide open and am reading and trying everything. I WILL defeat Mr. Armadillo. But I am also as committed to defeating my excuses. How about you? Talk again on Monday, PK