This Ostrich: Guilty of attempted G.B.H. (Grievous Bodily Harm) during an assault on an innocent bystander. Also possesses serious weapons: two muscular legs and one sharp beak. Do not let those big brown eyes fool you into complacency. This bird is dangerous and should be behind bars! If you see the Antagonist shown in these formal mugshots, be very careful- you CANNOT outrun this punk.
Witness statement: On the 3rd March 2015, a harmless amateur photographer approached the Enclosure. Chromed buckles on the gentleman’s camera bag sparkled in the sunlight, and the Miscreant Ostrich proceeded to lean over the normally adequate fencing and repeatedly peck at the buckle, risking damage to the neck, shoulder and ears of the visitor. Narrowly escaping, the photographer took these three mugshots looking Right, Left, and Straight Ahead. As yet the Authorities have taken no action, muttering something about “being already enclosed with no escape.” Adding the bit about the warning notices telling visitors to “Keep Clear of the Fences” was just RUDE.
What I have outlined here is a light-hearted illustration of a serious danger. No, I’m not paranoid about the ostrich being out to get me. BUT the Bible warns us of an “Accuser” who attempts to convict and condemn us- and will distort and exaggerate the “facts” in the worse possible way in order to make us believe we are GUILTY and therefore without hope.
Ostriches are curious- they will examine any shiny object by pecking at it or poking/kicking with those long hard-clawed legs. It’s why there is a fence to keep visitors out of the way of curiosity!
Humans are also curious: we explore and prod at things, and sometimes there are breakages. (It’s why my sensible wife keeps me under close control in shops!)
There are many issues of ethics, truth, honesty, choice and behaviour that can get us into trouble.
Our Accuser will seize on such things, and try to make us feel guilty. When we are beaten down and condemned, we lose our freedom, joy, and worst of all, we feel as though we lose our relationship with God. This should not be. Satan has NO authority over the People who belong to Jesus Christ. Yet we are easily badgered into guilt and “failure” because we forget that our Holy God has provided a way for faults and sins to be forgiven and cleansed. Yes, God IS Holy, and we are to be holy too- the question is “How?”
1 John 1 v9 says: “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
However we may try to understand and express the Doctrine of the Atonement (At-one-ment) the heart of the matter is this: God has dealt with the heart of the problem by grace-giving us “new hearts” through the death and Resurrection of Jesus. We simply need to accept what God has done, and spend our lives choosing to live up to it. We will fail, make mistakes, get side-tracked, or be hit by a ton of horrible circumstances- that’s reality. But we don’t have to live under the burden of guilt.
The best reality lies in trusting God’s Love, mercy, and justice. God WILL do what He has said He will do. To “confess” essentially means to “say the same as God” and agree with Him about our “mess.” Forgiveness and cleansing follow. We do not have to live in terror of the Accuser and his lies. As has been said: “When the Devil tries to make you ashamed of your past, remind him of his future.”
After all, we could abbreviate the Bible quite a lot by stating “Jesus Wins.” What a great headline- and remedy for guilt and shame.
The Reflectionary 