How to Let God Take Control
My Nannie had guineas. You know…those yard birds that run around screaming all the time. When we were kids, my sister, cousins and I detested this noisy flock. Every day, all day, they were scurrying across the yard, screeching and hollering constantly. Needless to say, they got on our nerves.
This particular day my sister, our cousin Ted, and I were outside at my grandparent’s. I guess we were about 8 – 10 years old. We had been throwing apples from under the apple tree across the road, trying to hit the open top doors of the barn. We’d had little to no success, so, we decided to walk back to the house. It was then I noticed one of those annoying guineas on top of the light pole. Grandaddy had made this light pole out of an old telephone pole and it stood by the gate leading to the barnyard.
I don’t know why I did it except that mischief took hold of me as I turned to Ted and said, “Hey, see if you can take your Pepsi bottle and hit that guinea off the light pole.” Mischief then jumped on Ted and he started to wind up like a major league pitcher. Keep in mind, he just proved he could not hit the side of a barn with the apples. And it was a no-brainer to my sister and I that he could not and would not hit the guinea on top of that tall light pole.
No sooner had my mischievous request left my lips, than that Pepsi bottle whirled past my ear and hit the guinea right between the eyes. Down she fell into the day lilies around the bottom of the pole with a thud.
The three of us fell to the ground laughing. We could hardly catch our breath. It was the funniest thing we had ever seen or done!
Well, it was funny until about an hour later when Nannie hunted us down and wanted to know what happened to her guinea!
I guess we all have a little mischief in us. Things we do for a laugh, oftentimes at others expense or for our own enjoyment. Harmless fun and a good laugh do a soul good, right?
But when that mischief results in gossip, rumor spreading, or hurting others, then that kind of mischief becomes cruel and it’s a sin. We may think when we share some juicy information with a close friend that it’s harmless. However, at our age, are we so bored that we use this to fill the lonely hours of the day? Does it make us feel better to talk ill about others?
Dare I say it…some of us ‘seasoned gals’ are called busybodies for a reason!
In Proverbs it basically says, “feet that are swift to run to mischief” are people who eagerly partake in mischievous actions and more than likely will do it again! The problem is, all this mischief is dishonoring to God.
What started as just a fun, youthful mischievous prank in regards to the guinea, wound up dishonoring God because we all lied to Nannie and brought needless harm to that guinea. I believe our feet often run to mischief because we don’t stop to think about where our feet are taking us!
Beforehand we should ask ourselves, “Is my ‘mischief’ about to help them or hurt them?”
Maybe we should follow the words of the Psalmist when he says, “I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep Your Word.”
I can’t speak for you, but I know that I keep a keen eye on my feet these days. They may not be as swift as they use to be, but they can still get into mischief. That’s why I let God order my steps!
By the way, as far as I know, Nannie went to her grave thinking we didn’t have anything to do with the scandalous murder.
Or did she? ;)