Former American Press staff writer Sunny Brown Farley writes "Naked Faith," a look at faith in its natural form: lived out in the day-to-day lives of ordinary people.

Ah, Protection.

Posted June 9, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Filed Under Faith & Religion | Leave a Comment

The other day I looked down at my dry-clean-only outfit I was wearing and I noted that I was soaked with pee, slobber and a sticky substance of unidentifiable origin. It was at this point that I invented the Mommy Smock. I thought to myself, if only I could invent something that would stand between me and harm, I could protect myself from all things bad and yucky.

Such is the life of a mother of an almost-2-year-old child. Perhaps I will seek a patent on the smock, or maybe one of you will. It sure would be nice to have something like that to keep my clothes safe and protected.

I have a friend who likes to say, “Don’t let anything bad get on ya.”

This friend, a Christian, makes this statement about spiritual stuff.

There is, after all, a spiritual equivalent to pee, slobber and sticky substances of unidentifiable origin. Just think about it.

In this world, there are things by which we’d rather not be contaminated. I often think about negativity and sarcasm and other downers that stick to us and pollute us. Just turn on the television and see how long it takes to get depressed or sickened or angry about something.

Don’t let anything get on ya.

It’s a statement I think about that a lot. After all, we can determine what gets on us and stays on us. We can’t determine what is out there. We have no say so about what is around us, but we do have some say over what will truly mess us up.

I think one of the greatest things about being a Christian is having a layer of protection around me. I am protected by God. I am a child of God. I am in God.

In John 14:19-20, Jesus says: “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (NIV)

It’s great to be in God through Christ. What a powerful protection against the bad stuff of the world.

What a powerful protector we have in God!!

I have a prayer for us all on this day: Lord, keep us safe form all that would come against us. Lord keep us safe from all that would try to destroy and contaminate us! Amen.