Who is the King of your castle?

Éole 

One time my son and daughter were playing in the back yard with all of the neighborhood kids.  I looked out of the window and noticed a man talking with all of  them.  He looked upset!  I ran out the backdoor and said, “Hey buddy what is going on?”  He said, “I live in the home behind your house and the kids were playing in my yard.”  He then said, “I do not want anyone playing or even walking in my garden.”  I looked and didn’t see a garden, so I asked him what was he talking about.  He said, “I am from England and I am the king of my ‘castle’. My wife and I do not want anyone in our garden because it will destroy the grass.”  I realized at that moment his ‘garden’ was what I would call his ‘yard’.  I informed him that I would make sure the kids would not do this again and if they did, he would be more than welcomed to come and tell me.  We talked some more and I realized that he was not a bad person. He simply loved his yard so much that he was willing to call the police if anyone walked on it.

About four years have gone by and I have not talked with this man since that conversation in the yard.  Over the years, whenever we see someone walk in his yard, we try to warn people to be careful.  Crazy stuff.

The last few months I have noticed weeds popping up in his ‘Garden’.  It looks as if  no one is home.  I walked up to his yard then decided to step in his yard and go up to his house.  It may sound crazy, but I actually still had some fear that he would call the police on me for doing this.  The pool is black, the blinds in the windows are broken, and the yard has not been cut in months. Wow, it looks as if  he has foreclosed on his home and has left the house to rot.

Based on my conversation with the gentleman, I really think that  he took a lot of pride in his home. Believe it or not, I still felt guilty walking on his yard with him not there.  I was really devastated in my heart for him and his family.  I hate to see someone put so much into something then see it all fail.

This story is a little crazy but it made me think about what I put my hope and trust into.  Have I gotten upset when someone has messed with my stuff?  Do I trust God with all that I possess?

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.  But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder. Luke 11:20-22 (NIV)

Do I rely on the strongest power there is?  Do I allow God to use ALL OF MY STUFF and me?  Do I put anything before God?  Am I willing to take the time to remove anything from my life that replaces God?

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