AMBUSH!!!
Ambush!
Have I got a story to tell you! Recently, I pulled into the driveway of my home after a longer day at the office. It was a long enough day, that I was surprised to see the window shades to my children’s rooms open – neverminded the fact that it was 4:45 in the afternoon, and they should be open! The house looked largely dark inside, which led me to believe that my bride and kids were away for the afternoon. When I opened the garage door, I saw my bride’s vehicle parked in its normal spot. “Where is everybody?”, I thought to myself. As I stepped into the garage, I did not hear the pitter-patter, thumping, pounding, or playful shouting from upstairs. I was really confused.
As I walked into the entryway, the house was absolutely silent. No podcasts or music to be heard in the background from my bride. No whining or crying to be heard from my youngest. No chatter from my older kids to be heard above the music that I should be hearing in the background. And then…
From the other-side of the stairwell I heard an eerie sound. A sound my ears had heard many times before in conflicts that were fought upstairs. My mind recoiled in anticipation. My biceps tightened as if I was to anticipate a significant blow. My feet on edge – ready to take flight. Fully spooled, the whine of the sole electric Nerf gun started to throw the hard tipped darts. My oldest daughter appeared from behind the stairwell with a shrill cry of glee as the hard plastic darts either slammed into me or the wall with a thud. As if that wasn’t bad enough, my oldest son stealthily sneaked up from behind and unloaded his Nerf gun as well! My youngest daughter appeared shortly afterwards dodging the final darts from her sister with her single shot Nerf gun to land the final blow. I WAS AMBUSHED!!!! Their enemy was fully vanquished.
For my kids, this skillful planning – I might call mischief - was a resounding success. For myself, I had the opportunity to smile and unload my burden from the day’s affairs. It is interesting to me that when we are younger, we want to grow up fast so we can experience all sorts of things. When we are adults, we tend to long for the hands of time to turn back to a season that was easier, when stress was low, and our cares were few. When our parents told us not to wish our lives away, perhaps they were saying it not only because we needed the lesson, but because they needed an audible reminder.
Questions to Ponder
- What if the ambush of life’s circumstances – though unpleasant at the time – are opportunities that God gives you and me to reflect on His provisions? How would you respond differently?
- What if the ambush of all of the unpaid bills was a means to get your attention for a life that could be less complicated? How would you act differently to develop a plan to pay them off?
- What if the ambush of stress within your personal relationships was intended to wake you up to decisions that you are making which are less than ideal? What different boundaries would you create?
- What if you feel overwhelmed because the darts of life won’t stop flying and you have been AMBUSHED?!?!? To whom can you turn to that will stand in front of you to hold your shield for relief or watch your back to eliminate the threats from behind?
We’ll touch base again real soon – just as soon as I prepare my Nerf gun to win the war!
Jacob Zimmerman
P.S. If your faith, marriage, or finances are part of what has you feeling ambushed and you don’t have somebody to provide you with a good defense as you prepare to go on the offense, give me a call, shoot me a text message, or send me an email. I’ve been known to lead a pretty good extraction team!