Wait this isn't blood...

A few weeks ago the medical facility I work in had an “active shooter drill”.  It’s a scenario that is carefully planned and mapped out including local authorities, swat teams, employees heavily made up to play the role of casualties and victims.  We also hired an actor to play the role of the shooter so no one, not even the employees participating would know who he was.

Working in administration I got to see the whole thing play out, gun shots, blood splattered on the walls, people screaming, hospital security barking out instructions, the gunman terrorizing the employees and threatening them…SWAT team swooping in rifles drawn...EMT’s trying to get to the victims…and the cameras were rolling…remember it was just a drill.  

Once the “gunman” was apprehended and the drill was over we did a debriefing with the employees involved.  Sitting around the board room table were employees who were actually crying, hyperventilating, visually upset, holding their makeshift wounds, wiping syrupy blood from their faces and completely undone by what they experienced.

It took almost a half hour to calm everyone down, shake some of them into reality and remind them that the blood gushing from their heads was not real.  They had gotten so involved in the action..that they forgot it was just a drill.  Going in, each of them knew that the gunman would be apprehended, no one would be hurt.  But actually living out the active shooter script caused most of them to almost forget that was just a test. They filed one by one in the bathroom to wash off the remnants of a war not fought and eventually went back to their offices.

As believers, we sometimes forget that the little battles in our marriages, our parenting, our jobs, our families, our churches all belong to the Lord.  In the end, it has already been pre-declared that we win.  So to allow the battle to overtake you, no matter how real it may seem is to forget who is sitting on throne. Now sometimes the pain is excruciating and the blood IS real, but it is in those times that we have to remember that we are trained for battle. We did the drill. We know how to fight and with what. The bible teaches that the weapons of warfare are not carnal but spiritual. There is nothing coming that you don’t have the grace to deal with. Don’t live in fear, but in faith that you are fully prepared and your God is well able to always deliver. The blood is just syrup…now wipe your face and go back to work.

I don't mind your mistakes, Just fight for me...

You ignored me

 

You gave me away

You sold me

I fell off a cliff

We got beat up…

The time that this son has spent with his estranged father hasn’t quite been an enriching experience.  Yet, when Max (the 11 year old son) is asked from his father (Charlie) “what does he want from him”…Max says simply….I want you to fight for me.

As the story went, the father did end up fighting for the son both emotionally and physically. The father’s act of bravery brought tears to his son eyes and Max was finally able to see him in a positive light, as a man that he could be proud of.

Our litany of screw ups as parents may not be as severe as Max’s father’s was, however, if we look back over our years of parenting we can certainly come across a laundry list of things that we wish we could re-do.  But out of all of the things we failed at…what our children really want from us are the simple things. They know we have other things on our plates, but they want us to value them and fight for time and memory making events with them.

I know you wanted to be able to take them on a cruise, but a fishing trip at the local river would be ok with them.  You are thinking bigger, better, more, more, more…they are thinking…YOU.  They just want you.  They want your time, your attention, your ears, your laughter, your encouragement, your motivation, your ideas, YOU.

Pray consistently for wisdom so you know how much time to give, when to prioritize, what’s really important and what can wait. I have seen a trip to the gas station singing in the car with my daughter turn into just the connection time we needed. I know you are busy..I understand, my schedule is massive.  But I FIND time and create time to spend with those that matter to me.  Fight for your family and the ties that bind it together…it’s not merely sacrifice-view it as an investment that yields eternal rewards.