Distraction or Defence?
If outdoor adventures are your thing, then like me, you probably enjoy visiting outdoor equipment stores. It’s not just the cool stuff in there, it’s also the people who demonstrate and sell it. I recently witnessed a sales presentation of a non-lethal self defence weapon that can incapacitate attackers with chemical irritants delivered by high velocity projectiles. The salesperson was enthralling and I found myself hoping for a demonstration. That never happened, and it’s probably just as well.
These devices are ingenious, but my fascination with them was disrupted by a sombre reflection on the current social climate responsible for the surge in their popularity. Intrigue and amusement gave way to a familiar contemplation of the sad state of our world. One minute I’m enjoying the exuberant salesperson and the ingenuity of the product he’s presenting, and the next I’m despairing at the world. Perhaps my joy was just a brief distraction.
This probably happens because of the sheer volume of negative news we’re bombarded with. We’re living in tough times and our thoughts automatically gravitate around the constant threats delivered by the media. These mingle with the challenges of our own circumstances and this chain of thought pushes us under the dark cloud of anxiety. Does this ever happen to you? Perhaps it’s just me, but If you know this cloud, then may I suggest that we don’t have to stay under it?
It involves another ingenious self-defence mechanism that’s found in bombardier beetles. They can blast a foul smelling caustic irritant at nearly ten meters a second. This custom-made tear gas is heated to boiling point and fired in bursts at more than five hundred times a second. Incredibly, they do all this without blowing themselves up. I’d pay good money to watch the aforementioned salesperson’s presentation on this design. We can marvel at the brilliance of it, but what about the Designer? Here’s where we can choose our chain of thought.
If we choose to contemplate the brilliance of the Designer of something like this little beetle, we can marvel at the even more amazing purpose and beauty of every human being, including ourselves. Then we can meditate on the work He’s put into creating each of us for a very specific purpose, and get on with enjoying fulfilling that purpose.
The Bible assures us of God’s love for us. The life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus proves that He is in control and can turn any situation around to achieve His purpose. The God that designed the bombardier beetle, designed us and has planned our purpose. We may not always know what our purpose looks like, but we can choose to focus on, and trust in the One who has determined it. This chain of thought isn’t a distraction, it’s the truth and a wonderful defense. Anxiety is the distraction, and we can choose not to live under it.
