invisible attacks?

I’m not one to see a demon behind every bush or some conspiracy in every human occurrence. Still, as a Christian, I do believe that there is a spiritual realm and that this realm includes personal forces that in some way affect the affairs of human beings. Jesus dealt with many of these forces, as did other biblical characters. A part of Christian theology, in other words, is the acceptance of good and bad angels.

That these personal beings influence daily happenings is one thing, but how they make their mark is quite another. To be honest, I’m not real clear on the mechanism by which they affect us. It seems to me that we ought to avoid both the view that denies such spiritual realities and the one that treats them as the chief culprits in every human trial or difficulty.

All of these things admitted, I sometimes wonder about certain occurrences and the likelihood that they could occur without some kind of supra-human involvement. For instance just the other day I experienced this sort of weird situation at work. Without getting into details, and without attempting to place any blame on anyone, I was subtly associated with a somewhat nefarious situation. No one actually blamed me for anything (quite the opposite, in fact), but there did remain this possible insinuation that someone who heard this story might think that I had done something improper.

When I heard this, I was–to be honest–angered. While I might be unorthodox, and even a little strange, I do my best (with all my heart and by the grace of God alone) to maintain my integrity and to assist others in doing the same. Yet, here I was being connected to something that sounded almost suspicious. No one who was directly involved in the situation approached me. No one asked me about anything or attempted to guard me from being misunderstood. While those who informed me of this situation were very kind and completely non-accusatory, I still wondered about potential scuttlebutt, gossip and the like.

At any rate, I left work in a very somber mood, wondering if anyone had been poisoned by untrue rumors or tainted by stories that had been slanted to make me look bad. Though I know that I cannot control what others think, I am concerned about what people I care about might think. Perhaps, I worry too much; that might be. Either way, these things have been somewhat heavy on my heart.

I should clarify, I suppose, that I do not at all think that I am somehow beyond correction or that it is impossible for me to do something stupid. I truly require the grace and guidance of God to do and be what I ought to do and be. However, when my reputation may hang in the balance, when misinformation might mislead others, I get upset, and I am saddened.

As a side note, and just to make this day even more “enjoyable,” I was later “attacked” by not one but two dogs while jogging (attacked is too strong a word, but these dogs did run up to and jump on me). Last week, I had this one day of particularly wonderful blessings. This day was, well, quite the opposite, which makes me wonder what might be going on “behind the scenes.”

Maybe I am wrong about this whole thing, and perhaps this is, as Shakespeare said, much ado about nothing. I certainly hope that’s the case. But either way I am somewhat dumbfounded by what might be an effort to question my character or at least make others wonder about it. Lord knows that I need guidance and strength each day, and I certainly hope and pray to “let my light shine” before others. Along the way, I sometimes seem to require a special dose of protection. Anyone want to pray? If so, thanks!