15 Jun, 2009
Fox Steals Shoes!
Many people in the German town of Foehren have been perplexed by the disappearance of their shoes. Over the last few months shoes have suddenly disappeared from the outside steps of their houses.
This remained a mystery until a forest worker stumbled upon some shoes near a foxes den. After further investigation, hundreds of pairs of shoes were found. The forest worker's theory is that the fox stole the shoes for her cubs to play with.
The mother fox didn't discriminate between types of shoes either. There were men's and womens shoes and both young and old styles. Ironically, most of the shoes were in good repair with usually only the laces missing.
There are no plans to retaliate against the fox.
Story and photo taken from: http://mobile.reuters.com
John 10:10 (NIV)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full
What does God say about stealing?
Unlike the benign story of the fox stealing shoes, we have a thief who wants to steal away our joy in the Lord. The evil one uses many tactics in attempting to take away the abundant life in Christ.
Usually the devil keeps us focused on ourselves when trying to take away our joy. As we look around, we might be constantly reminded of how weak we are or incompetent when compared to others.
The stealer of joy can also use others to discourage us and take our focus off Christ. The narrow-minded and legalistic people in our lives have a rule for everything. "Don't do this" or "don't do that." This perfectionist lifestyle often robs us of our joy.
The Bible fanatic and holier than thou group of folks also keep us flat. Phrases like "Thank God, I'm not like them" or "Turn or Burn" characterize this group of people.
While many of these groups of people are well-meaning, they have focused more on religion rather than relationship. When we feel our joy being stolen away, often we need to look at ourselves and the people around us and see if we are focusing more the religion of Christianity or our relationship with Christ.
- Assess your relationship with Christ. Has it felt more like a religion lately? If so, ask God to protect you from those that would make it a religion and focus on the relationship aspects of your faith.
- One way to do this is to talk with God throughout the day in small prhases as you would a trusted friend or family member. This takes the duty out of it and makes it more like a relationship you are used to.
- Pray for those who might be robbing you of the joy in Christ. Ask God to help you love them and look for ways to chat about the difference between religion and relationship.
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