OUTTA MY WAY

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Do any of you remember those guys?

Well, let me tell you – I sure do. My boys watched the show, and loved it. And when some marketing genius decided to make them into action figures – hold on to your hat!

I don’t have daughters, so I never had to participate in the Cabbage Patch Doll "land grab" of the early 80’s – and I conveniently missed the mass hysteria surrounding the collection of Beanie Babies.

But turtles??

It was crazy…

I’m a collector at heart – and I’ve collected an assortment of things over my life. I’m also one of those people who feels a deep-seated need to have the entire "collection" in my possession. So…turtles became my obsession…

Yes, technically I was collecting them for the boys – but underneath that calm mom exterior lurked "Master Collector" – and so "completing the set" became a mission.

What can I say? – "Heroes in a halfshell."

The four turtles were pretty easy to find – although Michelangelo was a little tougher because he was more popular with the kids. (Why is the goofy one always more popular?!) The evil henchmen, Bebop and Rocksteady were usually on the shelves – though Bebop was a little more scarce. Evidently, mutated warthogs were just slightly more popular than genetically altered rhinos.

Casey Jones? Easy. April? A cinch – in fact, I even considered not adding her to the collection – her action figure was mostly "figure," not too much action (just sayin’) – and I was always a fan of Krang. Krang was a little brain with arms – who couldn’t operate without his little robot body. I always kinda felt an affinity with good old Krang…

Splinter, the loyal and wise leader (who was a rat, by the way) – challenging, but findable.

But Shredder??? The evil bad guy??? Next to impossible.

Trolling the aisles of Target became a regular habit for me. And I didn’t stop there – OH NO I didn’t! If I didn’t find what I wanted, I drove all over – to other Target stores, Walmart, Toys R Us, Kaybee Toys, etc – any place where I could find the coveted character. I even had my mom on the hunt.

I soon learned that Target got new shipments on Tuesdays.

So, one Tuesday I made my way to Target (along with a small army of moms) – firmly planted myself at my strategic position in the aisle, and started combing through the display of Turtle figures, hunting for Shredder. None. I looked below to see if any had gotten mixed up with the Turtle vehicles – nope. I was just about to give up and call it a day, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw it…

…the Holy Grail.

An employee carrying a new box of Turtle figures. I didn’t say anything – after all, I wanted "first dibs" – and started to make my way quickly to him. One mom must have seen me leave, and why I was leaving – for she practically yelled out, "INCOMING!"

Like a marauding swarm of bees descending on one flower – we accosted the hapless Target employee. Forget the boxcutter, buddy – we’ve got business to do. WE tore open the box, we rifled through the figures – WHY are there SO many Casey Jones’s??

THERE – towards the bottom…SHREDDER.

I’m not going to go into any of the ugly details – suffice it to say, that on that day my sons’ collection was completed. Shredder, thy name is Mom…

This is a rather long introduction to my point here (but my boys are going to love it!) Thanks for indulging me…

But, here it is.

I was of SINGLE-MINDED purpose in my quest to find something.

Dogged, determined, unswayed, persistent, creative – NOTHING deterred me from my "mission."

Am I that way with God?

The Bible tells us of a certain man who went to his neighbor’s house to borrow some bread. He would not be dissuaded from what he needed…(Luke 11)

The Bible tells us of a certain woman who persistently kept after Jesus to free her daughter from an evil spirit…(Mark 7)

The Bible tells us of a certain man who refused to let go of the angel of the Lord until he was blessed…(Genesis 32)

Single-minded purpose – determined pursuit.

God encourages persistence in every area of our lives – but especially in our pursuit of Him. Persistence changes our hearts and our minds. It helps us understand what’s REALLY important.

Do you want to know God ABOVE ALL ELSE?

Are you dogged, determined, unswayed, persistent, creative in your pursuit of Him?

Will you let NOTHING deter you from this mission?

I think I’m ready – are you?

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." (Luke 11:9-10)

BLOG = “Blessedly Leaning On God!”