Not long ago I was out for a nightly run. I’m not a big runner, but I was training for a race and knew I had to get my pace up. I decided this particular night to take a new route. About 10 minutes into my run, I came into direct eye contact with a huge German Shepard. Now, keep in mind, I’m deathly afraid of dogs. I stared the dog down for about 30 seconds, when suddenly, he started charging at me! I didn’t know what to do. My first instinct was to turn around and run…but I knew the dog would just chase me. So I stood there, facing the dog head on.

About 5 feet in front of me, the dog suddenly stopped. He must have reached some invisible line in his mind that said it was safe. Then, his owner called him and he went back home. My heart was racing, but I knew it was safe to keep going so I did.

It occurred to me that this experience is a lot like life. We run into things that absolutely terrify us! We have trials, we have to make difficult choices, we have to step out of our comfort zone. Sometimes, our first instinct is to automatically run! But running from the things we must face head on won’t do any good…in fact, that hard thing will probably follow us! So we just keep going, face the trial, and move on.

Luckily for me, that dog stopped before I had to react. But I was ready to scream, kick, cry, whatever it took to get that dog away from me! I sure wish I would have had some kind of spray or something with me. When we reach these scary times in our life, it’s nice to be “armed” with something to help us make the right choice.

For me, I like to wear my CTR ring. My CTR ring is a lot like the spray I wish I would have had to keep the dog away. It keeps danger at a safe distance, enabling me to live my life despite the scary things around me. It’s a protection—a shield.

In this world where scary things come at us from all angles, it’s nice to know we have a source of protection. Our CTR rings can be the thing to protect us from evil and keep us on the right path in life.

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