Hazardous Missing Chunks

Ephesians 6:11 -- "Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." [NASB]

Making a sound that resembles a bear waking up from a nap, I put the controller down on the ottoman [and none too gently, I might ad].  I died...AGAIN!!  And I had just mined the mother load of iron, had two new picks on me, the all-important map, AND a few of those elusive diamonds from the giant rift I just discovered in Mine Craft.  And now, as I respawn back at base-camp....I have NONE of those things.  I just spent the last hour diligently and ever so carefully escaping gravel-cave-ins, running from those sneaky creepers, and ever so daintily eluding lava falls and now I'm back at square one.  BEFORE square one even because I've lost my stupid map!

The rest of the family is still glued to the TV, their fat stick-figures hammering away at strategically placed chunks in the Mine Craft universe.  ARG, I say! ARG!  I announce that I don't want to play anymore.  A chorus of  "What?, Why?" rings out in the living room and I tell them...."look, it took me forever to get out of that rift.  I survived the plethora of perils within and almost drowned digging myself out -- when I finally reach the surface to smelt my treasures into useable blocks, I trip and fall into one of those missing chunks! [Essentially, in Mine Craft speak - I fell into a hole and died from impact].

Tyler says: "Mom, you weren't wearing your armor, were you?"
Me: "Yes huh, I was!  I had on the legging thingies and the chest plate.  AND it was iron, NOT gold or leather [which are inferior, by the way].
Brian says: "Mom, you HAVE to have ALL the armor....not just a couple of  pieces or you still take fall-damage."

GRRR....those hazardous missing chunks get me every time!!

Kind of made me think of Ephesians 6:11. A couple of pieces of the Armor of God just aren't going to cut it. Because "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness" [Eph. 6:12].

As it was so beautifully demonstrated through my character in Mine Craft, I may be able to evade a pretty good amount of pit-falls if I have the "breastplate of righteousness" and have "shod my feet with the gospel of peace",  but I could be wholly protected if I also had the "shield of faith, to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one" -- and the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, and the legging thingies of truth. [Eph. 6:13-17]. I might be able to stand firm against peer pressure, avoid temptation, and stand firm in my faith in Jesus Christ -  only to be hurt by an unkind word and allow my thoughts to dwell on negative things. Taking just a small amount of  damage here and there ads up.  Eventually we aren't capable of fighting the battle any longer. That just isn't acceptable.  Every soldier in the army of the Lord has to be ready and able to fight.

How does it go?  Hope for the best and prepare for the worst!  Expect a GREAT day full of powerful achievements and Godly accomplishments but also, put on the FULL armor of God and avoid those hazardous missing chunks!