"Slow Down Justin!"

Have you ever wondered where the term "clotheslined" came from? Well, I think I know where it actually came from after this unlikely and quite comical encounter. During Thanksgiving Camp, I got clotheslined by a clothesline. Yes, I know it sounds funny and you are probably wondering, "How do you get clotheslined by a clothesline?" Well, here is the story. We were playing a game that was a Thanksgiving version of Capture The Flag which involved a lot of chasing. I was running from someone and next thing I knew it, everything went black. When I came to my senses, I was on the ground and soon realized I just got clotheslined. By the end of the day, the injuries I had were: A minor concussion, almost lost part of my ear (Thank God for the ER Doctor on site!), abrasions all along my neck, injured my shoulder, and I destroyed my glasses. The following picture is a result of the clotheslining (looks worse than it actually is).

Clothesline - 1, Justin - 0

You are probably asking, "What does this have to do with faithfulness?" From my China experience, I was beginning to understand what it means to be faithful to spending time with God and also to what He has given me to work with. I wanted to share this story because I feel that it is a continuation of that lesson and teaching from China.

I think back on being clotheslined and wondered what God was trying to say to me. Two words came up, "Slow Down!!" I hit that clothesline so hard because I was running so fast that I couldn't see it. The results... a lot of damage. When I started this semester, I started off running. It got to the point where I was running so fast that I didn't have time to spend my quiet times with God. It was China all over again except on a much larger scale. In the same way I "hit the wall" in China after 1 week, I "hit the clothesline" which forced me to stop (literally). I needed this short period of time to remember my China experience and how to actually apply it to my life and ministry at SFU. Who would have thought that something as simple and comical as being clotheslined by a clothesline would teach me this lesson. God is indeed a good (and funny) God.