Bruises

“Ouch!”  I was making the bed and stubbed my toe on the corner of the frame.  Now those of you who know me well, are not at all surprised.  I think I may be the clumsiest person who ever walked this planet.  I have broken 2 fingers, one arm, and too many toes to count.  In fact, we’ve come up with a phrase in my family, naming the third toe down.  We call it the “Niki toe” because it seems that it is the one that always takes the brunt of abuse and gets broken most often.  So now, whenever someone, whether be my husband or mother, bumps into something, they simply say they hit their “Niki toe”, and we all know what they are talking about. 
 
So, if I am this clumsy in my physical life, have I expressed the same characteristics in my spiritual life?  Do I bump around, get bruises, and keep moving forward praying not to do it again?  I certainly have not been as purposeful as I should be.  I definitely haven’t been prepared and looking out for “sharp corners”.  But the bible says those things are real. 
 
1 Peter 5:8 (CSB)  “Be sober-minded, be alert.  Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”
The devil is actually prowling, looking for a way to trip us up.  The NIV says it this way in Ephesians 4:27, “do not give the devil a foothold.” 
 
Both of those verses are referring to two different circumstances, but the one in 1 Peter is in context of telling us to humble ourselves before the Lord.  The complete passage discusses that God cares for us, and we should put our concerns on him.  It lets us know others go through similar difficulties, and we should take heart because God will restore us.   He is ultimately in control.  (1 Pet. 5:6-11)
And let me just mention, for me – humbling doesn’t just mean saying “you’re God and I’m not”.  There is a much bigger statement that I am having to come to terms with (don’t know why it took me so long to realize the significance!),  as in Deuteronomy 6.  The chapter discusses Fear of God, but also the fact of remembering him in times of prosperity.  He is the one who gave the good things.  He is the one who rescued and placed.  He is the one who sustains and provides.  But it’s the fear thing that I missed. 
 
(Deut. 6:24-25)  “And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, that we may always be prosperous and preserved, as we are to this day.  And if we are careful to observe every one of these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us, then that will be our righteousness.”
 
Our righteousness is in the recognition.  Do I seriously recognize and respect the fact that I am coming before the Creator of all?  Everybody has a dad.  And no matter the rate of performance, most of us have daddy issues.  But we have a perfect and good Heavenly Father that has adopted us as part of his family.  Not a step-dad situation, but fully connected and beneficiaries of all inheritance that is the Kingdom of God.
Rom. 8:15-16 (NIV) "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children."

As someone who was adopted, I totally get what this verse is telling me.  Its about acceptance, inclusion, and confirmation of position.  The reality is that we are only accepted through Christ, yes, but just as a step-kid can rebel (or really any kid for that matter – scary!) and be a pebble in the shoe of the newly acknowledged parent, that is not the case with God.  The fear of the Lord is what is the way to having the “right relationship” or righteousness.  We need to recognize who it is that adopted us.
 
So, let’s get humble and get the relationship right.