|
W
|
hen
we were young kids, my mom used to make our clothes. She loved to sew and I remember her working
way into the wee hours of the morning, making sure everything was just
right. Easter especially saw a bevy of
activity around the Carpenter household. Mom would very methodically measure
us, hold the patterns up to us to make sure they were the right size, cut out
the material, and then start the sewing process. We were very involved in the process and I
was more than a little impatient at times.
Mom
would encourage us to play outside, out from under her feet, so she could
actually get something done. However,
she didn't want us to stray too far so we could come in and try on our clothes
in order for her to make any necessary adjustments. I remember many Saturday afternoons as I
played in our backyard while mom sat in the back hallway at her sewing machine
making new clothes for me to wear. She
could call me to come in for "just a few minutes" which to me were an
eternity. She would hand me the clothes
and then make the most impossible and least favorite of all requests, "Stand
still!"
I
hated standing still and I would jiggle and shift my weight from one foot to
the other. I would crack jokes and make
her laugh which meant we stayed there longer.
She finally would tell me to be quiet, another impossible feat, while
she checked the length of a sleeve or pants.
The hardest part was standing still for the hemming of a pair of
pants. I had to stand perfectly still
while she made sure the pants were the correct length. She would pin the pants to the desired length
and then she would let me go. While I
was sleeping, however, she was working, hemming those pants until early in the
morning. She did the same for my brother
and for my sister. Honestly, I don't
know where she found the time, but I am so glad she did. I am so glad that she taught me that
sometimes it's necessary to stand still.
In
the Christian life, we want to be constantly in motion. We find it so hard to
be still, to be inactive, and to let God do the work while we stand by and
watch. For us, standing still seems to
have no useful purpose and seems to be counterproductive. We must forever be doing something, we think,
if anything is to be done to further God’s kingdom. Yet, this is the exact opposite of what God
would have us do. David was right when
he said that the battle belongs to God, and Moses hit the nail on the head when
he declared that the Lord would do battle for his children.
The
Apostle Paul echoes these two great men of the Old Testament in his letter to
the church at Ephesus Rome
In
Ephesians6:11-17, Paul speaks about the various pieces of armor a soldier
would wear. He encourages and admonishes
his readers to put on every piece of spiritual armor meticulously and, once
ready for battle, he orders them to stand. He does not suggest they attack,
march forward, or launch their weapons, but simply stand still. The Roman solders wore sandals equipped with
spikes in order to grip the ground and provide a firm stance. The idea for a foot soldier is not to lose
any ground but to hold position and advance when necessary as a unit. This tactic ensured Rome
Paul's
advice is applicable to us today. Every
piece of the spiritual armor Paul describes is defensive in nature. The only offensive weapon is the sword of the
Spirit, the word of God. The shield is
used to quench fiery darts launched at us, the belt, breastplate and helmet
protect vital organs; the shoes help us stand our ground. This is Paul's command to us, to hold our
ground. God is our general, he is out in
front, and he is fighting all the battles for us. Our job is to hold the line, to keep the
enemy from advancing, to lock our shields, to dig in our heels, and to hold our
position. This is the job of the foot
soldier who looks the enemy in the face and doesn't flinch, who has confidence
in his general, who knows that ultimately the victory will be his because he
held his ground.
|
S
|
o,
if you feel you are making no forward progress, if you think God has left you
in the line because you have no usefulness, if you feel your place is
unimportant, hold on, dig in, stand firm.
It may be that the very position you are holding is preventing the enemy
from encroaching on God's territory.
Your faithfulness in the fray, your willingness to be obedient, and your
firm stance is what God is counting on. Don't give up! Hold that line! Stand still!
