Is there any worse housecleaning experience than untangling carpet fibers from the vacuum roller? It seems like it takes a millennium. Thankfully, most modern vacuum cleaners have eliminated that glitch from happening. Vacuum cleaners? They suck. (I’ll show myself out…)

It is football season. YEAH!! A defensive coach might scream at his defensive end in practice, “don’t get sucked in!” A defensive end is supposed to “set” or “seal the edge”, meaning to steer the play toward the middle of the field, where teammates can help make the tackle. If the defensive end gets sucked in the wrong direction and the ball carrier changes course…well, it feels like being stranded on the train station platform waving “buh-bye”.

In life, this advice helps us maintain a non-anxious presence.

Prayer works in these situations. We realize God doesn’t have to scream advice at us. We are at peace knowing that He is the cure-giver. He will act for our best interests when the time is right. A military chaplain once observed that 92% of the servicepeople they counseled came to them with issues that were about things in the past that couldn’t be changed. Attitudes, behaviors, decisions – they happen. Lick your wounds, throw the pity party confetti in the air, learn, grow, move on.

We are broken-hearted fools and suckers at any given time, in our worst moments. The fork in the road we choose will help us adopt a new attitude, wait for the next pitch, the next play, the opportunity to grab ahold of the true Vine. We don’t have to fret about getting kicked off the team if we pull a boner of a play. The Coach sends us back in again. His love unconditionally puts us in a position to win the crown of life.

Pastor Art