Distractions

Every Tuesday evening we host a community group bible study and discussion at our home. Because the group has been expanding, two weeks ago we asked a high school student from our old neighborhood to begin watching the youngest children upstairs each week.

Last night, though, two families with children weren't able to make it, so we encouraged her to take the night off. This meant that only our youngest two children could be set to play with their toys upstairs while we adults chatted downstairs. Great plan, not so great results.

Angie was really looking forward to the study, and she was able to join us minutes after we had begun. But, fifteen minutes later our youngest came down to ask his mom for something. Everyone in the room could smell him. He looked like a powdered doughnut and smelled like a Johnson and Johnson scratch and sniff 3-d sticker. Angie ran upstairs to discover what 2/3's of a bottle of baby powder can do when left in the hands of a 4 year-old for 10 minutes without restraint.

What followed was nothing short of a large scale environmental clean-up. Angie was able to clean up the children and our bedroom and our bathroom in time to join us for the last minute of our study.

Lesson learned? It's obvious, isn't it?

Later on last night I said to her, "I'm sorry that you weren't able to join us. We had a good discussion and I know you would have had lots to contribute." Then I asked her, "What made him decide to do such a thing?" Without flinching Angie said, "It was the devil."

Has our awareness of spiritual warfare become too routine? It seems that besides trying to discourage us, the enemy's other favorite weapon these days is distraction. This is just one example of many.