Don’t Forget Your Helmet!

Last Saturday my son broke his thumb and wrist. He was skateboarding down a hill with some friends, began to wobble, fell off the board and put out his hand to catch himself. He walked in the house obviously favoring his right hand and announcing, “Mom, I think I broke my hand!” Rewind the scene a 1/2 hour earlier and you will see the point of my story.

A half hour before my son walked into the house with broken bones, he asked if he could go to the bike trails with his friends. Instantly, a thought passed through my brain, “Make sure he wears a helmet!” I looked up at him, “Only if you wear a helmet.”

My son: “Mom…I don’t want to wear a helmet.”

Me: “Then, you can’t go to the bike trails.”

My son: “My helmet’s broken, I can’t wear it.”

Me: “Then, no, you can’t go to the bike trails. I’ll only let you go if you wear the helmet.”

My son: “Fine, I’ll wear the helmet.”

That instant thought I had to tell my son he had to wear a helmet didn’t come from me. There have been so many times I have let him go to the bike trails without even thinking about a helmet. But this time, I was going to fight to the death. The voice in my head kept telling me, “Don’t let him go without a helmet. He NEEDS a helmet. Make sure he wears a helmet.” These weren’t my thoughts. This was a voice inside my head that could predict the future. I can’t predict the future. This voice was telling me to draw a line in the sand, make sure the boy is wearing a helmet. The voice didn’t tell me what was going to happen. It just was urgent-make sure he’s got on a helmet.

I love the way the Holy Spirit works in a Christian’s life. He tells us what to do, where to go, what to say, stop, go, wait. He is never pushy or demanding. He simply puts gentle thoughts in our head. We don’t have to listen to them. We could totally ignore them. But if we are willing to listen, if we are walking with the Lord, those thoughts come. When Jesus left the planet, He told His disciples to wait for a Gift. The Gift would come. That Gift was the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the trinity. He would be a Christian’s Guide.

I’ve heard that Mordecai, Esther’s uncle in the book of Esther, was a type of Holy Spirit. He gave suggestions to Esther as to what she should do next. Then Esther had a choice: she could either listen to Mordecai or blow him off and do her own thing. Esther of course, made the wise decision and followed the suggestions of Mordecai. We would be wise, as Christians, to always follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. That’s what He is there for. He’s our Guide, our Gift as we live out our lives as Christians.

When my son came back in the house with his broken hand I looked at him and said, “Aren’t you glad you wore a helmet?”

My son: “Yes, I hit my head on the pavement too.”

Me: “You would have bigger problems than just a broken bone if you didn’t wear the helmet.”

My son: “I know!”

When we went to the doctor’s to get an xray, the nurse looked at him. He had a huge bleeding scrape above his elbow, and two giant welts on his back.

Nurse: “Were you wearing a helmet?”

My son: “Yes.”

Nurse: “Good thing you were wearing a helmet. You would have much bigger problems, if you didn’t”

My son: “I know.”

The Doctor came in.

The Doctor: “Were you wearing a helmet?”

My son: “Yes.”

The Doctor: “It was a good thing you were wearing a helmet. Broken bones can be fixed, but if you injure your head, that is a bigger problem that can’t be fixed easily.”

My son nodded his head. I think he was getting the point.

Three days later we were in the orthopedic Doctor’s office to switch my son’s hand from a splint to a cast. The PA came in.

PA: “So, how’d you break your hand?”

My son: “Skateboarding.”

PA: “Were you wearing a helmet?”

My son: “Yes.”

PA: “Well that’s good. You should always wear a helmet. You would have much bigger problems than a cast, if you weren’t wearing a helmet.”

I smiled at my son. I think he learned his lesson. There was a good reason, the Holy Spirit insisted I make sure my son wore his helmet.