Jumping Through Hoops

What does frozen fish head hockey, chicken salad, and cow tongue tag have in common? Nothing. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. It worked, didn't it?

Being young and free, like I was in the above picture, pales in comparison to anything else. As you can see from the look on my face, I took a certain amount of joy from jumping. It didn't matter that I wasn't getting anywhere, it was just fun.

I could jump as high, often, or crazily as I wanted - as long as I stayed in the middle of the doorway. Provided I was kept entertained by this simple invention, life was good and, I'm guessing, Mom would be grateful to get some things done.

While I may not remember those days of bouncing with glee while attached to the stationary contraption, just looking at the photo speaks for itself, or more appropriately, myself. There was no coercion involved, just pure fun.

Wouldn't we always like to be in a situation like that. Doing something while never being told you had to do it. Moreover, never having to be manipulated or threatened into doing it.

Sadly, there are those in the world who, through no fault of their own, are manipulated into doing things - horrible things. They are even threatened to go along with a scenario, or suffer serious consequences.

In a past post, I mentioned that I had been abused. While I knew the offender, it wasn't that easy to report him. Though the crime was played out in public, a threat involving my mother's life guaranteed my silence and time went on.

That was wrong. What happened to me was wrong and it took a long time to get through the worst of the event. I was petrified to go to school and even more so to ride on the bus that took me there. Even though the criminal lived nearby, I was able to move on and heal. Yet, to this day, I wish I had the courage to lay the justice smack down on my abuser.

Intimidation and threats have no place in a young girl's life. She should have the opportunity to be heard and protected at any cost by those around her, no matter what.

Encouragement for the week:

Jumping through hoops for someone else's gain is really no gain at all. Live a life of joy, sweet girl, and always exercise caution when being approached by someone who doesn't have a mindset of protection or respect for you.

If you are a Christian reading this, you know that God is your protector and strong tower in every situation. Be cautious and wise when being met with a, possibly, threatening or manipulative situation.

If you are not a Christian reading this, you can look for Jesus and you will find Him. He is a fortress and protection from all things, menacing, that can appear in your life. You can trust this Man who died for you to help in every uncertain situation in your life.