Behind Your Back

I met someone the other day that many would say was rough around the edges.
It was evident in the way they talked.
It was evident in the stories they told.
Rough around the edges or not, I enjoyed meeting this person.

They were real.
What you saw was what you got.
There was not a hint of pretense.
This is the kind of person someone would write off without giving them a second chance.

Write off because of appearances.
Write off because of the tough facade.
That would be a terrible shame.
This person was as refreshing as a summer breeze.

You knew where you stood with this person.
There were no mincing words.
There was no trying to measure up.
There was no, I’m better than you, attitude.

This person truly did not care.
They were comfortable in their own skin.
That simple fact makes you comfortable to be around them.
This person would be a very loyal friend.

There is an antithesis.
There is the person who seems to never miss a beat.
The person who smiles and seems to care but is disingenuous.
The person who will easily talk about you as soon as you walk away.

The person with whom you do not know where you stand.
The person who sees your friendship as an opportunity.
The person who cannot be trusted.
The person you really never know.

Give me the former.
Give me the person who puts it all on the table.
Give me the person whose smile lasts long after I am out of their presence.
Give me the refreshment of that kind of friendship.

The rough around the edges person doesn’t play games.
You either like them or you don’t.
Ironically, they know that but they do not seem to care.
They are comfortable in their own skin; it doesn’t matter what others think.

The antithesis would stab you in the back, as the old saying goes.
You don’t turn your back on that kind of person.
The rough around the edges person would have your back.
They would go to any length to protect their friend.

In ancient warfare, shields were part of the soldier’s armor.
The shields were full body shields.
Those shields were made of leather.
The leather would be wet before battle to extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy.

In that kind of warfare, you didn’t turn your back on your enemy.
Turning your back made you extremely vulnerable.
There was no protection if you turned around.
You were left exposed; the flaming arrow could easily injure you.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)

The enemy will keep shooting his flaming arrows.
The enemy will accuse.
The attacks keep coming.
With the shield of faith, though the attacks keep coming, you are protected.

Just don’t turn around.
Keep walking resolutely towards God.
You have already turned from your sin in repentance.
You can now walk with surety in the other direction.

As you walk toward the Father, the flaming arrows will come.
Can you hear it?
Can you hear the flames sizzle and extinguish as they hit your shield of faith?
Listen as they die down and go out.

God the Father is a merciful God.
When we turn from our sin and turn towards God, that shield of faith is on us.
As we walk, we will be attacked from time to time.
That shield of faith covers us; extinguishing the attacks of the enemy.

God, in His mercy, sees the righteousness of His Son, Jesus when He looks at us.
The enemy hates God, so consequently he hates what God loves.
More flaming arrows.
Sizzle. Sizzle.

God, in His mercy, has cast our sin as far as the east is from the west.

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind Your back. (Isaiah 38:17)

God has put all of our sins behind His back.
He does not see them when we have trusted Jesus for our salvation.
We will still sin this side of heaven.
It is a frustrating fact for those that love God and are called according to His purpose.

But we have our shield of faith.
We have the protection from the enemy who likes to remind us of our sin.
The enemy likes to chip away at our surety and weaken our faith.
The enemy derives pleasure from our suffering.

The enemy is like the antithesis.
Smiles to your face; portrays himself as an angel of light.
Just don’t turn around.
Just don’t leave your back exposed.

But God, in His mercy, has put our sin behind His back.
We can walk towards Him in confidence.
We are protected from the arrows that will indeed keep coming.
Sizzle. Sizzle.

Can you hear it?