“Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  — Ephesians 6:10-12 (MEV)

When my children were 11, 9, and 5, my husband of 13-plus years passed away from a rare disease that had led to a rare form of cancer. We were devastated. 

It was impossible to imagine how we would be able to go on and continue to live without him.  In one of our last conversations together, my husband asked one promise from me: that I not let his death ruin our lives.

It was a big promise to make, and, oh, so hard to keep. I saw each of my children struggling in the face of Daddy’s death. They were just children facing a huge challenge that many do not face until adulthood. I knew that I owed it to them to live out, as best as I could, belief that God had a plan for our lives and faith in God’s gift of eternal life; that we will be reunited with Daddy on the day each of us will be called home. 

I knew I needed God’s help. I asked God for a Bible verse we could look to for strength in these hard times. And His Spirit led me to the Ephesians passage above.

Initially, I didn’t see the value of these particular verses for my family. Where was the verse about being courageous? Trusting? Comfort? Strength?! Then, as I looked at my children, daily getting up, struggling to go to school and church, to find the joy and meaning in their lives, to see a bright future ahead of them…I realized the truth of this Scripture. If we let ourselves, we could be pulled down into depression, bitterness, and apathy. I saw that satan’s lies must be stopped. His whispers that all meaning in life was gone, that there would never be joy again, that our family was destroyed, and that there was nothing for us to look forward to in the future. He could not be allowed to influence my children’s lives (and mine) with spiritual death.

I took these verses from Ephesians and each day I would act out with my children the putting on of the pieces of the armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. It was an act of desperation, and yet, an act of faith. 

By doing this, we chose to protect our minds, emotions, hearts, spirits, and bodies from satan’s influence. It was an act of choice and an act of taking back control of our lives. Of course, being children, it eventually became kind of a silly act – pretend tripping as we “shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” or pulling one’s sister’s hair “just helping you put on your helmet of salvation” and play sword fights.  As the weeks continued, much laughter ensued as life and hope and joy flowed back into our hearts and days.

So, what does this mean for you today? My prayer for you is, as you encounter life’s toughest moments, if you feel you are drifting away from trust, when you have come to a point where you must choose life again, that you will find strength in putting on the armor of God. 

Even if it seems silly and childish, that you will choose to clothe yourselves with God’s armor –  and find protection and strength and peace.