The Thief in the Kitchen and the Thief of Our Souls: A Deeper Look at John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10 ESV
It was a Monday towards the end of Summer.
I had just come home from a long work day and walked past the overflowing garbage can in the garage, that was wafting a particular scent of something extra special.
On the kitchen counter a pile of mail greeted my arrival with another annoying notice from E-ZPass, informing us of a recent toll booth violation. Apparently, our digital dashboard pass had been failing to sync and read properly through the toll booths all Summer long. Something that should be an easy fix, but was proving to be a time consuming task to talk to an actual real live person.
Ants had sent out an email blast that there was an end of Summer party in the Krout kitchen and all of the neighboring ants had gathered inside an upper cabinet where a jar of Nutella with a loose and lopsided lid was the epicenter of the ant rave.
And?
To top it off…
We had a mouse.
Yes, a mouse.
A stealth and sneaky mouse, who knew just where to go, just when to go there and just how to gain access.
The “there” being my baking cabinet and epicenter of sugar, of all places.
This tiny mouse had snuck in at some point while we weren’t looking and was skirting through our kitchen during the dark cycle of the day, running on the high octane fuel of mini marshmallows and confectionary sugar.
Now, having become alerted and aware of this house mouse situation, we started setting a mouse trap, spread with an irresistible layer of peanut butter, for about a week.
Every morning, I would walk down to the kitchen, confident that I would find my pre-coffee prize, of a dead mouse waiting in the trap. Talk about glamorous.
But?
To my surprise, every morning…the trap was empty.
Capital E – M – P – T – Y.
As in, no mouse and no peanut butter.
Yes, the peanut butter was GONE.
Stolen, swiped and wiped.
This mouse was duping us every day of the week, taking us for fools and it was starting to get on my last nerve!
Perhaps you can relate to some of these non fairy tale life scenarios unfolding in your own home?
Maybe you have another flavor of adulting annoyances nipping at your ankles.
Nevertheless, I believe that not one of us are immune to daily life mini dramas and the low grade weariness that can tend to slip in and slow hum us through our days.
But what about when the mundane ordinary obstacles of life suddenly shift and life throws you a real fast pitch wake up call?
What happens when the trap is set to snap on sin and not a small house mouse?
What happens when life catches you off guard and you come face to face with the real thief of this world?
Friend, can I be honest with you?
While mini mouse and the ant rave, the time eating task of correcting inaccurate E-ZPass invoices and the sour smelling trash can were all an annoying accumulation of adulting adversaries and are also – very much real life, in the real world…
These tiny tangles were not the areas of my biggest concerns.
Recently, I found myself in a battle with the real expert thief himself.
A much more stealth and sneaky enemy, than a peanut butter stealing mouse and with much more at stake than baking ingredients for my pumpkin bread.
It feels hard, maybe even risky to share how my path of trust was recently derailed. But, I believe God, in His rich love, is drawing me out and into clarity from this fog, for reasons to come near you now, as you might be finding your own footing again, after experiencing one of life’s painful derailments.
Maybe you’ve recently been caught off guard, experienced a betrayal, are battling an illness, or are having difficulty in a relationship. Perhaps you have opened yourself up and were burned or you are walking heavier than you used to, from the pain of trauma or dealing with hard situation after hard situation that have compounded and piled up on the floor of your heart.
I write to you friend, not because I have all the answers, but because I am fresh from battle, which I will bravely offer here.
I pray I can walk tenderly alongside you, as we climb through, to the other side together. Because, as I recently read and was encouraged…we are never alone in the wilderness of our wounding.
Over the Summer, in desperate need for soul replenishment, I was blessed to soak in the sun, sand and sea from the beach of our favorite salt air retreat in Maryland.
Early one morning, and in search of a much needed centering down, I took in the sunrise over the ocean’s lake-like liquid horizon, and sat with a trusted friend, each staring out at the beginning of a new day.
There is something about sitting at the edge of the ocean, that for me, unlocks another level, another chamber and channel for inner core, soul transparency.
Whereas, sitting in any other place in the world, I might otherwise hold back or push down what is being flushed out in my heart.
But there, amid the salt air, as ocean waves crashed, providing a soft backdrop for soul baring…I found myself tapping deeper into the emotional waves crashing on my heart.
Because for me –
The ocean and her waves whisper an honest invitation that says:
Truth is welcome here.
The tide, reaching my feet, reading my heart and reminding my spirit of –
My vulnerability.
But also and more importantly…
The ocean reminds me and makes me more keenly aware of –
Just how BIG my God is.
As I sat with my trusted friend and shared fragile emotions around the battle that was requiring me to armor up (Ephesians 6:10-12), the Lord brought John 10:10 to mind in a fresh way:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
In the past, I have had the tendency to gloss over the first part of this verse –
“the thief comes only to steal.” (Emphasis added.)
And instead, jump ahead and focus in on the last two more gruesome, end game goals of the enemy, to “kill and destroy.”
But, in this season?
I was becoming more acutely aware of his sticky finger characteristics and recognizing the enemy thief for his more commonly used, yet much harder to spot tactic of stealing.
The Message paraphrase puts John 10:10 this way:
“A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”
Wow.
We have something, someone even better than the ear of a trusted friend, and an early morning ocean sunrise, to pour out our heartaches and burdens to.
We have access to a real and eternal life, a more and better life than we have ever dreamed of…because we have access to The One.
So how do we tap into and gain access to this real, eternal more and better life than we have ever dreamed?
Especially when life feels anything but good and catches us off guard?
The answer is simple.
Jesus.
Every single time, Jesus is the Way.
He is the Way every single day.
He is the Way in every single dilemma, derailment, diagnosis, deception, despair, doubt and dire situation.
There is not a detail of your life that God does not see what you are up against.
He sees it all friend.
He knows it all.
He covers it all.
He covers you.
Especially when you don’t and can’t have it all covered.
So, what if our reflex was to pray when we get hit with the hard things of this life?
What if we trusted Him enough with our difficult situations, stolen peace, empty feelings and robbed joy and really surrendered all of it to Him?
Asking Him to go before us, stand beside us and walk behind us, filling the gaps for our every need.
Oh friend, I think it is so critical, that we do not fall into complacency, because here’s what I am re-learning afresh:
The enemy thief is always looking for and wanting a way in the door to your soul. (1 Peter 5:8)
We must remain vigilant.
The thief has done the homework on the home of your heart and he understands the assignment.
He has the playbook on you memorized. He knows how to approach and gain access, when to strike and where he intends to take you…and it’s not close to God.
The enemy of our souls wants to do everything he can to keep us from praying, so that we can never receive the hope Jesus has for us and so that he can continue to steal from us, the lives we were created to live.
But there is good news friend.
God is faithful and He equips us in His strength and might to stand strong against the schemes of the enemy. (Ephesians 6:10-12)
Similar to how burnout sometimes may precede your biggest breakthrough…
Heartache may sometimes precede your next higher calling.
That is not a fluffy statement meant to tie up the strings to your hard fought battles and wrap them up in a bow.
No friend, it’s a statement of hard earned truth, meant to help shore up your faith when life gets rocky.
May I encourage you in this critical truth?
When we decide to take on the posture of prayer…
When our knees hit the ground, when our foreheads kiss the floor and our hands are held out…we transfer what was our battleground into His Holy ground.
Say it and pray it:
“I surrender it Lord.”
“Your will, your way Lord.”
Surrender the hard and the hurt and let Jesus carry it from here friend.
Let your inner warrior take the night off.
You don’t have to live a life of extreme, choosing to give all the way up or fight all the way through.
Because Jesus says in His infinite grace and boundless love:
“I already fought the battle.
And here’s the spoiler:
We win.
You win.
Because I won.
Now, come, sit with me – and rest.”
Oh friend, when we let him in on our heartaches, in His loving kindness and grace, HE gives us a safe space to reset and rest, and also lets us in on His playbook, plan and will for our lives.
Which, it turns out, helps us to discern our next right moves towards living the life God intends for us:
A life – to the full.
Instead of replaying the details of whatever has us heavy hearted and burdened.
Let us replay what Jesus has done for us, so that we can live the full and abundant life He has for us, through His love for us.
Living on a prayer,
Heather
In His Word
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:10-17 ESV
In Your Life
1. Remain vigilant, alert and aware of where the thief might be attacking and attempting to steal and take territory in your life.
2. Take the battle to the One who can help you fight against his schemes.
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Need help armoring up and turning the battleground into Holy ground? Listen to this:
For more encouragement, you are invited to read more posts from Heather here: It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect – To Be Good and How To Make Peace With Pressure.
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Heather is an interior decorator and owner of Home with Heather. Heather is also a lifestyle blogger and women’s speaker. Heather lives in Maryland with her husband Shawn of 19 years and their 3 teen daughters. She writes what is on her heart, weekly on her blog, heatherkrout.com. You can also find Heather on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for inspiration to empower you on your walk with God and inspire you with new and fresh ways to love your home.