the overflow.: Dangerously Unaware

I personally find the prospect of carrying a gun around a bit unnerving. I have never fired anything beyond "bb" caliber. Mostly because the opportunity has never really presented itself but I'm not exactly going out of my way to try it out either. I would call it a healthy fear. It's not a crippling fear by any means. Perhaps more of a deep respect. There's something about the idea of carrying the power of life and death in my pocket that I feel would steal the "lighthearted" out of everything.

I'm sure if ever found myself on a gun range or fending off an alien invasion, I could bring myself to squeeze the the trigger. My heart too resonates with the battle cry of a soldier just like my fellow man. I've even fought in my fair share of imaginary battles, wielding everything from a six-shooter to a laser sniper rifle equipped with an x-ray scope and rocket launcher attachment. And that was just last week. But tucking the cold steel of 9mm into my belt right now would more likely put me in a cold sweat. All my mind would be doing is...

I have a gun. I have a gun. I have a gun. It's tucked in my belt by my left butt cheek. Act natural. Act natural... THAT GUY KNOWS! HE SMILED AT ME FUNNY SO HE KNOWS! Oh gosh...

"Excuse me sir, why are you looking at me like I'm lethal? Why would you even think that?!"

"Oh hi, ma'am! Nothing's extremely dangerous on me, how are you today?... I have a gun."

I would be awkwardly conscious of the weapon I was carrying.

I've been around people who "conceal & carry" before. I didn't always know they were "concealing & carrying" though. One time I got a glimpse of a gun tucked into my friend's belt and, although we had a good 3-years worth of trust built up in our relationship, I suddenly found myself quickly rifling through all of the "disagreements" we might have had to make sure they all resolved happily.

To be clear, I am not against guns or the concept of conceal & carry. We need to protect ourselves and the people we love and when it comes the right tool for the job, well, you know how the saying goes "don't bring a knife to a gun fight". I'm sure I would get used to it with some training and time. I should probably see to that before my daughter hits her "teens".

Now here comes the metaphor...

This same concept often happens when we find Jesus for the first time.

Yeah. Jesus is like the gun. The first time you start carrying him with you, in your heart, you are so aware of the power present on your person. The power of life and death that can impact everyone in every room you walk into.

But what happens is, over time, we grow comfortable with that power, even take it for granted. My friends who conceal and carry do it without a skipping a beat. It doesn't phase them because they've done it for so long. The same goes for Jesus. As we mature in our faith, we forget about our first love.

In fact, God warns us against growing complacent like this in the letter addressed to the Church of Ephesus in Revelations:

"Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Revelation 2:4

The Church of Ephesus was doing a lot of things right but they had forgotten about the darkness from which they were plucked and had grown used to the grace that was covering them. Parents know all about this. Think ungrateful, spoiled teenagers who don't know how good they've got it. The next verse goes on to say...

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."

So, let us not forget the passion of when we first encountered the love of Jesus and the power of his forgiveness. Let us walk into every room fully aware of the redeeming love that lives inside us and use that power to change the lives around us.

Encourage someone today. Spread the Good News. Breathe life where there is none. Bring hope to the hopeless. Esteem others higher than yourself. If someone asks for a favor, do more than the favor. Call someone and ask for forgiveness. Release freedom in your workplace. Show love to an enemy. Go out of your way to bless someone.

These are blows made by a blade sharper than any double-edged sword, that cuts deep into workings of evil and break the chains that hold us back from walking as joint-heirs to a Kingdom more glorious than we could ever imagine.