I feel like I am in a never-ending game of “capture the flag” with the devil. Whenever I believe my flag is well-guarded, he steals it. I am sick of this stupid game. It is unfair, and I do not know the rules. More accurately, I may know the rules but have little success putting them into action.
The sad fact is that this game is like a Chinese finger trap. The harder I struggle to win, the more he seems to steal my flag. I believe the issue is that I do not know how to play the game. Like the finger trap, the obvious way to win ends up squeezing tighter. Panic sets in, and self-loathing drives me to pull harder. The cycle repeats until I have hurt myself or hurt the ones I love.
I am forced to play. Being a part of this world is a free, nonrefundable entry ticket to a contest designed for your misery and defeat. The only one ever to win was Christ. With what Christ did, he won the game for us as well. No matter how often the devil steals our flag, Christ’s blood returns it unblemished and white as snow. It is like the flag was never taken.
Nos & Rehtaf, Dnabsuh 