Don't Close the Blinds

FANTASTIC, this is not political but spiritual

Please take the time to read this! It is one of the most awesome lessons and best explanations I have ever encountered.

Don't Close Your Blinds

The other day, our nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.

My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window. He told him: "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?"

"I see trees and cars and our neighbor's houses." He replied. "OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."

Our son giggled and said "OK."

"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country", my husband said.

"OK Dad, I'm pretending."

"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and see that man come out of his house with his wife and he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and afraid of their father. You see all of this, son what do you do?"

"Dad?"
"What do you do son?"
"I call the police, Dad."

"OK, Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your call, listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then son?" "Dad, but the police are supposed to help!"

My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it," my husband says. "But Dad...he killed her!!" my son exclaims. "I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children." "Daddy...he kills them?" "Yes son, he does. What do you do?" "Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him," our son says.

"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him," my husband says.

"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by myself!!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?"
Our son starts to cry. "OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?" "What Daddy?" "He walks across the street to the old lady's house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then. He kills her. He turns around and sees you standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?"

"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?"
Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I close the blinds,Daddy." My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him... "Why?" "Because Daddy the police are supposed to help people who needs it and they won't help You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him I'm afraid I can't do it by myself. Daddy I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and do nothing so I'm just going to close the blinds so I can't see what he's doing and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."

I start to cry.

My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husbands questions and he tells him...."Son"!!!

"Yes, Daddy."

"Open the blinds, because that man he's at your front door now..."WHAT DO YOU DO?"

My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!!!!!"

I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and cries..."It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife. You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before.....it's too late," my husband whispers. THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen its the greatest EVIL of all. Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must understand that this war is a war of humanity. WE must remove evil men from power so that we can continue to live in a free world where we are not afraid to look out our window. So that my nine year old son won't grow up in a world where he feels that if he just "closes" that blinds so the atrocities in the world won't affect him.

"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT!
EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!"

Does anyone remember Adolph Hitler? He almost enslaved Europe before anyone would stand up to him. It was a spiritual battle before a war. We are in a spiritual battle right now. I am deeply disturbed and praying like mad. ABC, sumner

Bitterness produces the most deadly deeds

Deadly deeds "Let all bitterness…be put away from you" Eph 4:31. Some of the most deadly deeds come from bitterness. God warns, "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled" Heb. 12:15.

A bitter spirit "It is not what happens to you that counts, it is what you do with what happens to you that matters." Every person has been hurt, betrayed, stabbed in the back by a friend or foe, been lied about, cheated on and on we could go. Nothing is worse than for a person to get bitter because of it. The poison that comes from that person is worse than the venom of the most deadly snake and many are defiled by them. How tragic.

Get mad at the devil "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph. 6:12. Get mad at the devil, not people. Blame him.

Forgive them "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing" Luke 23:34. Do it and pray it by faith. I have done it scores of times. I will not defile myself or others with bitterness.  "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" Matt. 6:15.

Husbands, "Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them" Col. 3:19. That would have saved thousands of marriages if we Christian men obeyed God in this way.

Prayer:  Father, spare us these awful deadly deeds that come from bitterness. We are the losers if we get bitter. Help us, In Jesus name

Majoring in the Minors

Are you majoring in trivial pursuit?

A young man goes off to college. Each semester he changes his major from history, to science to math to biology to business etc. On the day of graduation someone asked him how has this prepared you for life, what are you going to do now. His reply was, I don't know but one thing is for sure. I am getting really good at trivial pursuit."

What on earth are you majoring in that will make a difference in eternity? Have you thought about majoring in the Bible? Just read it for an hour a day. Make the time by turning off the TV for that hour. You wont miss much. Memorize verses in it for just ten minutes a day. Meditate on it for just ten minutes a day and see what a difference it will make here and hereafter. Doesn't that make sense?

Are you majoring in television? You know all the players. You know all the programs and movies. You are very good at trivia pursuit about the movies.

O dear people. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" Matt. 6:33.

Prayer:  Father, help us to major on the major things of life and not the trivial. Bless those who are gong through some deep waters right now and give them Your peace and wisdom. In Jesus name. You are loved by God and me, all because of Calvary. sumner