by 
Socially challenged seal
Have you ever sailed on a boat until you lose sight of shore? It is a bit frightening but unless you travel, you will never get anywhere. This post is about knots that refuse to stay tied and life that can- knot be denied if we face our fears and take chances.
Sometimes, life plays tricks on me. It happens to all of us. We think we can tie a knot in a rope and we do it the very best we can and the knot slips. I have lost boats and tripped on shoelaces that came undone. I have lost fish off the hook because the knot did not hold. My huskies have broken free from ropes I tied. The list goes on and on.
When did you ever tie something down and it broke free? Oftentimes, we feel secure and confident that something will work and it fails.
This is a stunt about a knot that fails:
Knotty (Naughty) Knot
What you need: a cord or rope that is 12 inches long and a scarf about the same length.
Say : I have a knotty (naughty) knot. No matter what I do it vanishes. Watch as I actually tie a knot and try as I may, it won’t stay fastened.
Do: Hold the rope in both hands. Form a U-shape or smile shape.
Take one end (End A) and loop it . Hold (A) and (B) ends with your left hand.
Twist the “B” end under and through the loop.
Pull this end to the right.
Never let go of your left hand fingers.
It looks as if the knot disappears as you pull it tight.
You guessed it. There was never a knot.
This is a story about a lion that breaks free. A wild animal that goes free can be frightening if we are nearby.
One day, a mime visited the zoo. He needed some money and he thought he would try performing. Sadly, as soon as he started to draw a crowd, a zookeeper grabbed him and dragged him into his office.
The zookeeper explained to the mime that the zoo’s most popular attraction, a gorilla, has died suddenly and the keeper fears attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offered the mime a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mime accepted.
The next morning, the mime put on a gorilla suit and entered the cage before the crowd arrived. He discovered that it’s a great job. He could sleep all he wanted, play, and make fun of people. He drew bigger crowds than he ever did as a mime.
However, eventually, the crowds got tired of him. He got tired of swinging on tires. He began to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience, he climbed to the top of his cage, crawled across a divider and dangled from the top of the lion’s cage. Of course, this made the lion furious, but the crowd loved it. At the end of the day the zookeeper came and gave the mime a raise for being such a good attraction.
The mime kept teasing the lion and the crowds grew larger. His salary kept going up. Then, one terrible day, while he dangled over the furious lion, he slipped and fell. The mime was terrified.
The lion gathered himself and prepared to pounce. The mime was so scared he began to run round and around the cage with the lion close behind. Finally, the mime started screaming and yelling, “Help me! Help me!” but the lion was quick and pounced. The mime soon found himself flat on his back. He looked up at the angry lion, who growled, “Shut up, you idiot! Do you want to get us both fired?”
Scriptural Application:
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
It makes us anxious when something we have done fails us. We may have fear that it might happen again. Failure causes us to doubt ourselves and our abilities. This makes us nervous about the future. There are two things we learn about failure:
God cares for us. His love for us never changes. He is the only one who is perfect. The Lord forgives us for our mistakes.
We learn from failure. Accidents make us stronger because we learn to do things better.
Boundaries Application:
People may fail us. Friends, family members, teachers and even pastors can let us down. When this happens, it isn’t our fault. People are human. They make mistakes. If a person does something that was harmful and hurt you COMMUNICATE this strongly to them. Watch and see their reaction. Give them a second chance unless you are certain that person won’t change. You may have to find a new friend. Stick to your values and what you know is right. Get help from other people if the relationship causes you harm.
