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Greet Them With an Ax

I spotted a bearded ax at the renaissance fair one year and joked that with it, I could finally stand up to rude and unruly family by merely greeting them at the door with the dragon-etched tool. It drew a laugh from my grandma and the next day, that ax hung on my wall.

I shared the story with our bible study group last night when the subject had somehow turned toward toxic relationships. You see, I never actually wielded that ax while opening the front door to dubious family members, but the idea took on a life of it's own. Whenever family pushed Grandma to the point where her health or safety was affected, I would ask "do you need me to greet them with an ax?" With a simple yes, I would step in and be the muscle that she needed. I would announce the unpleasant news or dispense the medicine of action needed to steer Grandma back to health.

The idea of the ax was like an extra backbone, someone to step in when boundaries were ignored, or be a source of strength when someone needed courage. It manifested as a stern message to an unrelenting caller, whose persistence was draining on all of us. It was sitting with Grandma, holding her hand so that she knew she had support when she had to have a difficult conversation. On one occasion, it was telling someone that we weren't a storage facility, and that if their stuff wasn't picked up at the end of the year (yes... it had actually been eleven months at that point!) then their stuff would be hauled to Goodwill.

We need that strength that is beyond ourselves, and sometimes, we see it in the form of support or actions from others. Last night, we discussed the supernatural strength and encouragement we receive when we go to prayer or spend an hour in adoration. How when we face our problems and fears, when we don't have the power or understanding on our own, when we face the fullness of life... we can and should be going to Jesus and asking him to do as we'd do for others: to be with us and greet life with an ax.

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