The shower door and the invisible shield

Last summer as we were moving to new location, we viewed  houses for sale, one after the next.  In one house we toured, there was a large clear glass shower door in the main bathroom.  "A maintenance nightmare," I remarked to the realtor.

"Oh," she replied.  "It doesn't have to be that way."  I raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Just once a month, clean the door with Windex, and then spray it with RainX," she suggested, referring to an automobile windshield product.  "The water will run right off.  There will be no hard water build-up, and best of all, no need to squeegee every morning."

Promise? I asked her when I realized that this was the house we were going to buy.

"As long as you apply it once a month," she pointed out.

I set the first of the month as my day to spray, even when it doesn't look like it needs it.  It takes about 15 minutes, protected for another four weeks.

This sprayed-on shield is invisible to the eye, but it protects the shower door from the daily onslaught of tiny invisible particles that literally glue themselves to the glass door. By the time a hazy gray buildup is visible, well, trust me, it is a nearly impossible to remove.

When we had very young children, an old woman in our church gave me advice about a shield that protects more than shower doors. "Read the Bible first," she said.  "Don't pick up a catalog, a newspaper, or even read the mail, until you have read your Bible."  She knew the impact it has on daily life.

Daily immersion in God's Word does not apply a protective coating on the surface of our lives, but provides a daily strengthening, a shield that soaks all the way down to my heart.

It matters a lot.

God's shield does not make me impervious or insensitive to tough situations, but equips me with the strength to go forth.  His shield does not just hold off the adversary, it actually repels what seeks to bring us down.

...the shield of faith,
with which you can quench
all the flaming darts
of the evil one.
               Ephesians 6.16

God's shield is not just strapped on in a time of crisis or need, but a daily strengthening through the reading of His Word and letting Him lay His day before me.  It does not mean that I will never be afraid, but just that I know how to trust Him through it.

The LORD is with you.
Do not fear.
           Even in this.
His shield is not an invisible coating,
    but an all encompassing reality.
    


The LORD is my strength
         and my shield;
in Him my heart trusts;
so am I helped,
and my heart exults,
and with my song
   I give thanks to Him.

                   Psalm 28.7