Did we do something right?

This Sunday in our small group, we talked about spiritual warfare.  It was a really good discussion, centered on Biblical examples and how this also is apparent in our lives.  Someone made the point that it seems like spiritual warfare is the toughest when you're heading in the direction God wants you to go.  It's always when you're trying to make good decisions and walk in God's light that you encounter temptations and trials.

Well, we must be doing something right.

Last Thursday night Stuart and I went out to eat with some people I work on the admissions committee with, and then drove over to midtown Mobile (a block from where I used to live) to play kickball.  It was theme night, and our team had planned to dress like pirates.  We were running a little late and assembled our costumes as we got out of our cars.

Well the game got underway.  We went down the batting order and eventually my name came up.  I stepped up to the plate, took a good run and then kicked the ball.  It went sailing!  Unfortunately, as the ball traveled up, a sharp bolt of pain traveled down my thigh.  I ran/limped to first base and was safe.  After I stopped running I realized there was no way I could keep going, and subbed out.  Turns out, thanks to our friend who is over the league and also a training orthopedist, I apparently suffered a grade 2 sprain/tear of my quad!

We won the game (hint: I am not an essential athletic part of the team) and headed to our cars to go home.  I hobbled to my car and told Stuart I would just meet him back home so he could talk to friends and I could ice my leg.  After I got home and waited a while, I began to get a bit concerned about where he was.  I noticed a voicemail and checked it.  It was Stuart telling me his car had been broken into.  Apparently while we were playing - on a busy street in a well-lit field - someone took a knife to his convertible top, stole his work clothes and underwear (yes, those too), and the wallet that was in his pants.

So out about $150 cash and several credit cards, as well as Stuart's license, and a $1200 bill to fix the car we were trying to sell, we began to get a bit angry.  Thinking things like "punk kids" and "this dangerous town" and "why can't we pay more cops to work instead of (insert wasteful city purchases here)??  And then we realized that we could whine and complain all we wanted to, but that wasn't going to change much.  It stinks that we were just out having fun with friends and this happened; but maybe that means we're doing something right and the devil is just trying to get at us?  It could always be worse.  We'll keep fighting the good fight anyway because we know that all things work together for good for those that love the Lord!