I love going to carnivals. Whether I was with my parents as a child or my friends as an adult, I experienced the same exhilaration. Allow me to reminisce. The carnival is in town. The food, the rides, the games and the excitement make it the perfect day. When I get there, the carnival seems alive. Festive voices overlap, conversations in the crowd are incomprehensible but notably cheerful, children are laughing and in the distance I can hear people screaming with mock fear as they enjoy their rides. The air is filled with the smell of cotton candy, corn dogs, pretzels, kettle corn, cheeseburgers and funnel cakes. I breathe in deeply trying to decide what I want to eat. By the day's end I will have eaten my fill of cotton candy, corn dogs and snow cones. But before I eat anything, I have to go on the rides. Some of them make my stomach do flip flops so it's sensible to eat after I'm finished.
After the rides and satiating my epicurean appetite, I wander around the various entertainment booths trying to win prizes. If I stay long enough at any particular booth, I'll usually win something small, but it's value is insignificant compared to what I shelled out. One game I play is called Whack-A-Mole. You're given a large, soft, black mallet that you're supposed to use to "whack" a mole when it pops out of one of five holes. The mole pops up in various holes faster and faster until you can hardly keep up. At first Whack-A-Mole seems like a fun game, but it becomes frustrating after the first couple of whacks. The moles keep popping up and you find yourself swinging at the whole board. You can't win.
To me this game is an example of how life's problems keep popping up just when you think you've got something under control. There are people who live "Whack-A-Mole" type lives. They can't get ahead. There are various reasons they're in those situations, but sometimes we can help. When we see they're struggling with something that is "out-of-Whack," we may need to get another mallet and help them gain control or simply help them stop the game.
Perhaps you've been experiencing the "Whack-A-Mole life." Maybe you feel like the moles are winning and you're swinging everywhere trying to keep up. Life is full of moles that pop up and we're faced with keeping those pests from gaining the upper hand. Moles can take various forms such as: sickness, family problems, work situations, business complications, new, old, or unfinished projects, friends, finances, living arrangements, birth, death, marriage, divorce and job changes. It's especially hard when "moles" pop up in quick succession and we feel like we're forever solving one problem only to have another one pop up. I've had my share of "moles" in my life, but I've learned that an important part of handling them is having peace of mind. I'd like to share some verses that have helped me deal with the "moles." I hope you find them useful.
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment." 2 Timothy 1:7
"Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." I Peter 5:7
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." John 14:27