Parades are an interesting part of life. There are the people that line up along the parade route to watch and there are participants. I’ve done both. As a “watcher” you can come & go when you like. You can wave & encourage the people you know as they pass by or just sit and watch. Also, as a “watcher” you can bring a chair, have a refreshment, and visit with the people around you…but if you are in the marching band, as I was for 6-years, that was not possible.

Local organizations would spend hours decorating farm trailers for smiling kids to ride & wave. There were the pretty girls riding on the back of convertibles and always there were horses & the band. I played in the band. The band always followed the horses.

As I look back on this time, it resembles the life of a Believer. We practice our music, we have a planned route, we polish our horn, put a fresh coat of “white” polish on our shoes, put on our uniform and line up. It’s usually hot. It usually seems to go on forever. And it requires a person to multitask by staying in step, playing the music correctly, while smiling and dodging the potholes & the horses li’l presents, all with a good attitude.

Believers are not called to sit on the sidelines of life and watch it go by. We are called as Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Luke 10:2. As recorded in Acts 14:15, “We are bringing you Good News, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”

Paul gives us our preparation instructions in Ephesians 6:10-17, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Every day is a new parade…every day is a new opportunity. What are you going to do…sit on the sidelines or march in His Glorious Band…it’s your choice.