My son Chase will become a teenager next Tuesday.  Why is it so much harder to accept that my boy children are growing up?  Kira is just my clone and evidently I’m a bit of a narcissus because I truly enjoy the company of the young woman she has become.  With my sons, it’s different.  I want them to remain little boys.  I kinda liked it when Chase was smaller and I was the most important female in his life.  When a pretty girl walks by these days, she gets all of his attention.  Sigh…

Chase had just turned 6 when Finding Nemo was released.  With the movie came a brand new sea creature vocabulary.  He was very into pretend battles and sword fights at the time and if you asked him who he was slaying, his reply would be, “my anemones”.  How cute is that?  Of course I asked all the time just to hear him say it ;).

I believe that I mistakenly said in an earlier blog post that  I don’t have any enemies.  My dear friend Lindsey reminded me very quickly that I always have an enemy in the devil.  This week has been a grim reminder of that presence.  And let me tell you….he’s been working overtime and he’s got some people on his side.  The incident with Kira’s friend was just the beginning of my reminder that darkness is out there waiting for a chance to overcome the light.  We’ve been beat up this week, to say the least, and all of it was completely unexpected and beyond our control.  So…I’ve spent the past couple of days crying out to God and seeking truth about dealing with the “anemones”.

Psalm 13:2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

John 10:10 The enemy comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Makes it pretty clear who’s for us and who isn’t .

Exodus 15:9“The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.’

Scary!

Numbers 10:9When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.

This one got my attention because it covers the enemies who attack you at home.  If all it takes is a trumpet blast to get God’s attention and be rescued…..well, I’m glad God made me a loud-mouth and that Chase plays the trumpet.
This train of thought led me to thinking about vigilance.  The synonyms of vigilance are watchfulness, concern, attention, alertness, heedfulness, and care.  Here’s the deal… I want to be vigilant about the bad stuff BEFORE it’s in my house.  I don’t want anyone in my family swinging swords around the living room.  I think I’d prefer to slay those anemones on the ocean floor….where they live.  One might ask, “How do you do that, Kaci?”.  Heck, I’ve been wondering the same thing all week.  Without preaching a sermon, here’s what I’ve found.

Romans 12:21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Guess that means I need to stop fantasizing about stink-bombing the local USCIS office and teaching Seth a few skills to push his principal’s buttons.  Bummer!

Proverbs 4:23-26 Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.  Never tell lies or be deceitful in what you say.  Keep looking straight ahead, without turning aside.  Know where you are headed, and you will stay on solid ground.

Ahhhh…..this is the kind of truth I was searching for.

Matthew 10:16  I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Index card on the kids’ bathroom mirror!

Through my battle with cancer, through Chad’s deployments to Iraq, through losing my Mom and through all of the struggles I’ve faced as a parent, I have always clung to James 1:2-4

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

This has been a week of tests, struggles, and attacks, but I can fall asleep tonight knowing that a work is being done.  And maybe…just maybe…with a little vigilance, the members of my family can start slaying some of those anemones before they step foot on our land.

Now if I can just figure out what to do about all those 13 year old girls…