Do Not Enter (Blurb)

 The place pictured above had no sign stating there was a no touching rule but my 'mother taught mind' put one there due to the chain divider placed all around the area.

I know I am right and the proper reaction to a scene like this is to look and not touch, but I was out there with a bunch of kids who had other ideas about what this informed them. To them the chains in this area were actually an invitation to enter and play to their hearts content. I am not sure where this kind of thought process could come from but...maybe it has to do with every playground in the world being surrounded by a fence..maybe..I really am not certain, but there is just something odd about how a child has no problem breaking a seemingly easy to see rule.

This actually reminds me of the movie "Crash" due to one particular part. The movie gives you a good amount of stories all going on at once but end up connected on levels only the viewer of the film can understand because only they have seen each "puzzle piece" which fits together. I will admit it is abrasive and vulgar, like most of what movie makers create, though this interesting perspective for this child truly captivated me.

A good thing is you will only need two of the plots to grip what I am talking about and neither of them are vulgar. (read the bold print if you have never seen the movie, and if you have. you still can, but you may also be able to skip it) One is a man shop owner who's shop has been vandalized on occasion. This places him to need of a door replaced and re-keyed. This then enters the locksmith, also the father of the child I mentioned above. To keep this streamlined you need to know he fixes the door but the shop is broken into again, though this time the shop owner blames the locksmith who did the work.

Learning more about the locksmith we see he is in a bad neighborhood trying the best he can to work and move his way out without doing it in a illegal fashion. His daughter is scared one night so he gives her his "invisible cloak" which protects anyone who wears it. She is reluctant to take his protection but he insists. While this may sound wonderful, it is only good enough to calm her down as this movie is set in the REAL world where cloaks of this nature do not exist.

The confrontation of these two men come near the end of the film due to the shop owners emotional struggle, but his fear and hatred win in him as he comes to the locksmith's front yard locked and loaded with his newly purchased gun and ammo. At this moment to the locksmith this is like any day as he returns home from work to be treated by his family, but his family can see the gun welding madman approaching the locksmith's back.

The daughter, knowing she alone has what can protect her father, bolts from the house and into her father's arms. As soon as she makes it into his embrace the shot rings out. I remember pausing the movie here to get a drink or snack and thinking, it better not end like this for them...it better not..I will hate this movie if it does.

I return and start the movie back up.

The locksmith father is heartbroken in fear and grim emotion as he holds his daughter. The shop owner is in shock and awe seeing what his actions have done, and the mother is still within the safety of the home, but clearly fearful of the results of the shot.

The little girl speaks to her father and basically lets him know he needed the cloak she had and she knows she saved him. This is the moment you actually realize she is perfectly fine, there is no wound in anyone, actually it seems there is no evidence of a shot fired at all except for the sound.

A miracle has occurred. This is what the shop owner believes as he recounts the story to his daughter.  The locksmith and his wife have no idea what happened and likely believe it a miracle, and finally the daughter wholeheartedly believes the cloak her father assured her would keep her safe - has done the job it was meant for.

We find out about the shop owners daughter, while protestingly 'helping' him buy the gun, was very specific about the kind of ammo he should buy. We see after all of this she was insistent on blanks.

Each action in these events created the scenario which could have likely ended up with me throwing my remote through my television screen, but something kept it from being that. Now, granted this is just a movie and those writing it were very clever with how they put it together, but I am one to firmly believe in the power of evil desires give birth to sin and as well, conviction can do the opposite.

Our hearts and our faith are fragile. As the child believes an invisible cloak saved her dad there are others who just KNOW she is foolish...but still can only see a miracle. Even knowing the truth about the blanks, it can still only be seen as a miracle. The circumstances and coincidences do not remove the status of miracle, but instead support it.  Our HEAD KNOWLEDGE can seriously get in the way of our GOD KNOWLEDGE. 

Children are resilient believers. Christ called for us to be like children in their humbleness.  

Matthew 18:3-4

New International Version (NIV)

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

We are not SUPER Christians for having greater faith, having more revival services than the minister beside us, more people in our church, more money, more healing, or any other thing one could think of we seem to make heavily about the station of the MAN God CHOSE to use! 

It is, though, possible we have placed a 'Keep Out' sign somewhere there should not be one due to fear, preconceived ideas, or just because we believe we should get more recognition.  Where have you made a place 'off limits'.  Is it your pride doing this? 

A simple act of encouraging someone to purchase blanks may yet be the very thing which births a miracle.  It may not be your five point sermon you worked for three months to get just perfect.  Instead it may have been the guy you ran by and did not even notice.  Humble yourself and be ready to serve in any way God presses upon you.  Be sensitive to the Spirit and see the times when others need the cloak of Christ to protect them from the world, even if we are not sure they are all just blanks! 

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