I’m typically cautious when I run. I don’t use headphones so I can hear everything around me. I make sure I’m visible. (My favorite black shirt is retired for the season because it’s so dark in the mornings now.) I carry my cell phone, and I really watch the pavement for uneven spots. I was not prepared to be attacked.
Yesterday, I headed out, ready to conquer my ‘southern’ route. Early out the road dips down toward a creek between the grade school and a wooded park. (It’s nice to get that hill out of the way.) I had run the downhill side and was just about to start up when I got hit on the top of my head! My first thought was that it was a bat – a fat, clumsy bat, maybe. I didn’t see anything though. I hoped it wasn’t somebody in the woods throwing rocks at me. Finally, I decided it was something from the trees, a piece of bark or something that seemed bigger than it was because it surprised me. Okay. Whew.
Then it happened again!
And this time I saw it. An owl. A good-sized owl had thumped me. (I say ‘thumped,’ because there were no talons involved. Thankfully!)
After a little investigation, we found out she’s a barn owl, and a regular ‘thump-er.’ At least three other runners have encountered her. The Department of Natural Resources tells us that in a few weeks – maybe when her babies are bigger or gone – she won’t be as aggressive. Even so, this morning… I changed my route. Just to be safe.
So, what’s the lesson?
Even if you think you’re cautious and well-prepared, attacks can come from the most unexpected places and using the most unexpected means. I’ve seen plenty of deer, dogs and even one skunk on my morning runs, but it was the owl that got me. We can be prayed up, studied up, tight with God and that doesn’t exempt us. Don’t be surprised or dismayed. Which brings me to my next lesson…
Keep running. Granted, I checked more than once to make sure I was just sweating and not bleeding, and I was really jumpy for the rest of the run. but I kept going. I ended up making both my marks for distance. I didn’t let the attack prevent me from reaching my goal.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1 NLT
Last week's study tip encouraged us to consider what a verse or passage teaches us about God. This week, we'll look at the flip side and look at what Scripture teaches us about ourselves. I've heard it said that God's word is a mirror that reveals our true selves. In Hebrews 4:12, it says that God's word is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts.
One evening not too long ago, my son announced he was bored. You remember what that was like, to be ten and have nothing to do. It wasn't that there was 'nothing' to do, he just didn't want to do any of the 'somethings' that were available. He wasn't being adequately entertained. When we pressed him though, the truth came out. His sisters were busy. He had no audience. He wasn't the center of attention.
A few evenings ago, I was snoozing through whatever non-Disney Channel show happened to be on, when I heard rustling… and struggling… and fussing. The sounds of utter frustration. So I blinked myself awake enough to follow the sounds and found my son's sheets stripped from his bed, new sheets in a wad, and Alan had had enough. He tried and tried and tried and he could NOT get the fitted sheet on that bed. 
One of the greatest joys in Bible study is discovering the promises that Almighty God has made to us as His children. The promises aren't hard to spot – watch for God's "I will" statements. 
"God is not so unjust as to overlook your work, and the love that you showed for His sake in serving the saints, as you still do." Hebrews 6:10 ESV