Broken Glass

Matthew 13:24b-25 – The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. (ESV)

I have noticed broken glass on the tarmac where I ride my bike. I guess it is from broken wine bottles or beer glasses discarded by revellers.

I had to repair a puncture to my wheel the other day from some such glass.

One day soon afterwards, I followed a fellow cyclist into work, and I noticed that he swerved violently at the last minute to avoid a spill of glass. On further investigation, I saw that the glass had no "impact zone", or the splatter characteristic of a dropped bottle or glass. It was all of a small and even size, which betrayed an intent that someone had placed the glass there deliberately to catch an unwary cyclist like me who was off-guard. Further down the route, now that I was looking, I found another patch of glass shed in a similar manner. No wonder that I had had a puncture. "Humph!" I thought, "What a sad and messed up world we live in."

However, and to my surprise, as a rode to work yesterday, I found that all the glass had been swept up by some of the army of council litter pickers and local volunteers who seek to keep Cheltenham tidy.

All of this led me to mull over how the powers of evil seek to lay traps for the unwary Christian to cause them to falter on their journey. So we need to be alert as we travel and not be unwary.

I am glad to say that there is also the greater army of Jesus, King of kings, who sends out His workers — you and me, as we are able — into the world to pick up the pieces, clear the path, and set people safely on their journeys.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your sovereignty over us as we name You our Saviour and Deliverer. We rejoice in the freedom found in a love that You have provided in abundance because we look to You. Light our paths and open our eyes to the dangers we face today. As we go, grant us the faith, wisdom, and strength to know how best to deal with these situations for ourselves and for those to whom You take us. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

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