Busted Shins and Disobedience

Thought I would share a little story with you that many of you will probably find as funny as Jill did (although she contained her laughter). I came home from work on Friday to pick up Jill and the kids so we could go to a gospel music concert with my parents. The kids were playing nicely at the computer and Jill was out watering the plants. I decided to have a little fun with Jill and a rule she had imposed on the kids.

When we moved the trampoline, we used the pool ladders to provide easy access for the kids. They fit perfectly and the wood I had fitted into the top braces worked great as seats for the kids to sit on while waiting their turn to jump. During the week, the kids had been climbing to the wood platform and attempting to jump onto the trampoline. Jill told them it was off limits and too dangerous. While I supported her in front of the kids, I remembered days spent at different friends' houses while growing up and how we would jump off swingsets, roofs, and any other high point we could find.

So in an attempt to prove a point, I ran to the back yard and up onto the ladder to show Jill just how "safe" jumping off the wooden platform actually was. As soon as I pushed off, I heard the snapping of wood and felt myself falling. Sharp pain shot through my shins as I rolled forward onto the trampoline. Jill (trying to contain her laughter and amusement at her husband's ill attempt at disobedience) came running over to see if I was okay. As I slipped off the trampoline, each step sent shooting pain up my legs. As I limped inside to the couch, I had two little ones following me through the house asking what happened (how humbling is that!). I sat down and pulled up my jeans to find deep bruises and scarpes covering both shins and swelling beginning to start.

I won't bore you with all the pain I have felt over the last two days. If you are like Jill, you are probably thinking, I got what I deserved. Each step, each time the kids bang against my legs, each time I feel the sting as water hits the scrapes, I am reminded of my intentional act of disobedience. Isn't that the way it is with God? He gives us the ability to make choices. He gives us His rules through His Word. And yet still, we often act out in blatant disobedience and have to suffer the repercussions of our actions.

Sometimes it takes a dumb male moment to remind me of these deep spiritual truths. Next time I'll borrow Dara's shin guards!