My Enemy is My Friend

My Enemy is My Friend

 

Often times we look at our enemies in a questioning way. Why Lord, do we have to endure this person? Why Lord, does this person hate me so? Why Lord, do I have to go through this?

But what if we looked at our enemies in such a way that we viewed them as our friends? Friends come in many different forms after all. We have family that we consider friends and friends we consider family. We have new friends and old friends. There are friends that we consider acquaintances because we don’t know them very well. We also have work friends, furry friends, adult friends, young friends, and the list could go on and on. The truth is we have so many different types of friends that we label differently.

In the pop culture world there is a term called, frenemies.

Definition (a)-This is a term used for someone that you can get along with but also have to keep close in order to watch them so they don’t do something behind your back. A clever term for the old saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

This term I believe can be applied to an enemy of the Lord and therefore an enemy to you. All it takes is adding another definition below the previous one.

Frenemy. (b) A person or thing, seen or unseen that is intent on causing harm to a particular person but causes beneficial gain in the process.

You see, with every experience, good or bad, births wisdom in some form. Our enemies may try and hurt us and may even succeed in doing so, but we are always helped by these experiences. 

God allows and uses every experience we go through to better mold us and the more experiences we get, the wiser God allows us to become. So when our enemy tries to lure us in or even successfully does and injures us in some way, we have gained the knowledge for next time and can successfully thwart the enemies’ attempt.

Now with each gained experience the enemy will always try and get you another way, maybe something similar or something completely different, but through a relationship in Christ, which almost always strengthens through conflict, we become more intelligible and a seer of trouble ahead. Through Christ and the prior knowledge we gain through our previous battles, we can often gain the knowledge of the enemies plan to attack ahead of time and make wise decisions to skip it all together.

Granted God sometimes withholds the knowledge in an effort to teach us something more important that we will only learn through an attack rather than side stepping it all together, but for the times that He allows us the opportunity to see and turn away from trouble, the knowledge to do so only comes from Him and our previous experiences with the enemy.

So when the enemy attacks & we are pushed to go to God, we gain valuable experience that allows us to grow in wisdom, creating smarter choices and when we can help it, better happier lives. 

It doesn’t matter if the enemy successfully attacks or tries to and we stop it with the help of our Lord and Savior, we always learn something from all these experiences. God knows this, which is why He allows our lives to be enriched through the trials and tribulations brought on by our friend, the enemy. Our frenemy.

Christmas Traditions

The weather outside is windy
A front blowing in brings with it the expectations of joy this season
Almost everyone down the street is putting up lights
A man in the store where we were contemplating which lights to buy
Stopped and had about a 20 min conversation with us
What an everyday tradition I grew up with that I haven’t experienced in a while
Talking to strangers in the store or check out line
Was sort of a norm for generations back
 
Corbin is at the point in life where he enjoys the lights now
He wants them on all the time
Oh how wonderful it is
That  Christmas brings out the child in those of us
Who choose to enjoy it
 
I still like to lay under the tree while it is lit up and the lights in the house are off
And watch the lights twinkle and smell the pine
I can’t wait for Corbin to get a little bigger so we can make this a tradition
& hoping every year, while we lay under that lighted tree
That Texas will get below freezing with expectations of rain
So maybe it will snow
 
& on Christmas morning
Really early before anyone else
I like to go outside in my pj’s wrapped up in a blanket
And drink coffee

Nothing is better than wrapping up snug and sitting in the cold with a warm beverage
This too, I hope to do with Corbin when he starts waking up before me
In anticipation of opening gifts on Christmas morning
Sitting outside first
Me with my coffee and him with hot cocoa
 
The wonderful traditions we have or we start making in life are amazing
For each holiday we celebrate or birthday we rejoice in
Other than a select few day to day ones
These are the memories we tend to remember most
& others tend to get a glimpse of

Do you want them to see the you
In the store with a cart full of gifts and an attitude that shows anything but good holiday cheer?
Or do you want them to see the you
Who has bought gifts but is more excited to tell of celebrating the birth of Jesus

 

Think of life through how many Christmases we will have to enjoy

With our family & friends

I want every holiday to be viewed in the right kind of joy it should be

Christ, Family, Friends, Love for others

All of which are a blessing on ourselves and others

 

I hope I rear Corbin in the right mind set
Even though we will watch all the good old Christmas cartoon specials
Especially the original Grinch
& when this materialistic world throws slashed prices his way

I want him to remember that

Just like you can’t buy someone’s love on Valentine’s Day

You also can’t buy happiness, tradition, or love on Christmas

Gifts are more about the giving than the getting

 

There is a reason for this gift giving
Celebrating the birth of Christ
Just like we celebrate birthdays

 

There is a reason hearts fill with joy during Christmas
A divinely given joy from our God
Our hearts soar because He came
A knowledge the heart and soul just know
Even if the mind isn’t made up yet

It is not the pumpkin spiced lattes or the apple cinnamon scents
It is not the songs or the weather
It is the remembrance of the great sacrifice
That transpired through the birth of our Savior

That brings on that joy 

I want Corbin to remember that always
Once I am gone and he is rearing his own family
To be an example for his future children
As well as for others who are watching him

 

Make no mistake that the world we live in right now is a blessing
Not far from now
The reason for this season will not be allowed or celebrated
It will become harder for Christians to worship
& Christmas will soon become a shopping holiday it is already on its way to becoming

Let us not grow weary though
Let us continue to pray that our Lord holds off a little longer
That through extra time we can help bring more people to Him
Especially by using the way we celebrate Christmas for the reasons we should
Telling all the good news of Christ’s birth and how He died to save us.