Shut That Door!

Happy Summer Solstice! In celebration of the longest "day" of the year, I sent the kids to bed early. They are so worn out from all we've already packed into summer even before summer arrived. So, we had an "at home" day and are calling it quits early tonight.

With all this warm weather, the air condition is getting quite a workout. The other thing getting a lot of use are the hinges on our doors. The kids go in and out about 5 ga-zillion times a day. The first thing Jewel does every morning when she gets up is to head to the barn and grab a kitten. She hauls the poor thing inside where she keeps it captive, wrapped in a blanket on the living room couch.

All three kids love to eat outside. Occasionally I'll get a glimpse of one of them high-tailing it out the door with an unsanctioned snack. And more often than not, when given the choice of eating at the table or taking it outside, they head for the great outdoors.

With all that running in and out, I find myself yelling, "Shut the door, the air's on!" more times than I can count. You know that saying, "If I had a nickel ..." well, yep, I'd be able to hire a professional doorman to stand there if someone would pay me for every time I had to utter that sentence.

Have you ever heard that Bible school ditty that goes, "Shut the door, keep out the devil. Shut the door, keep the devil in the night. Shut the door, keep out the devil. Shut the door, every thing's all right"? Every time I shout to the kids to shut the door, that song goes through my mind. But there is a strong lesson in that funny little song and God uses every slam of the kitchen door to remind me of it.

The first lesson is to be on our guard against the devil. He is a very real and present danger; and enemy not to be taken lightly. He needs to be shut out of our hearts, our lives, and our minds. He would like nothing more than to destroy our kids while they are young or to sneak in and gain a place of favor in their hearts and ruin their future. We must keep him on the outside, in the night, as the song says.

The other lesson God reminds me of using this song is that we are not powerless in the face of evil. Look at that phrase, "Shut the door". We can stand against the devil and his schemes. We are not sitting ducks--far from it. We have the ability to be proactive and intentional in keeping the devil away from us and our kids. How do you shut the door to the devil? Well, think about it this way: If Hitler showed up on your doorstep one evening during dinner, would you invite him in? Ask him to spend the night and bunk in your kids' room? Would you play his speeches on your iPod or run him propaganda films on your TV screen? I hope not!

I pray it's the same for you in keeping the devil out of your home and out of the reach of your children. Shut the door in his face when he comes ringing your doorbell. Don't allow his songs on your iPod. Turn the channel when shows that glorify him and his evil deeds come on the TV screen. Shutting the door on the devil may mean not allowing certain books, magazines, or video games. It may even come down to monitoring their friends.

I know there are some people who say that by keeping these things from our kids, that I am sheltering them too much; that I'm not preparing them for the real world. I guarantee they will have plenty of opportunities to learn life in the real world, but while they are young, it is my job to protect them. I keep the door shut to the other things I don't want infesting my home--scorching and humid air, bugs, bats, stray animals--and the devil.