Mishap at the Mavs by Mayada Naami
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
(2 Corinthians 4:4, NIV)
Last week I was invited to a Dallas Mavericks basketball game and was assigned the responsibility of taking one of the Vice-Presidents of the company I work for safely back to his hotel room. Being mindful of this, I parked my car as close as possible to the entrance and made sure to take a photo of the parking spot, as well as the front entrance. Ten minutes before the end of the game, the VP asked if we could leave so we could beat traffic. Of course, I agreed, and we left.
When we walked out of the entrance, I noticed the outside looked different than when I walked in. At this point I looked around and thought I had come out the wrong way, but the entrance looked familiar, so I kept going. When we got to the parking garage, I was confused because my car was not there. I apologized to the VP and said we must have come out of the wrong entrance. We walked back and went to the other side of the building where there was a parking garage facing another entrance but my car was not there either. I tried to remain calm and apologized again. The VP was quiet while I tried to show the picture of my parking spot to a parking attendant. The attendant was not helpful. He said all the parking garages look the same. I found that out the hard way. An hour later, after walking around the entire American Airlines Center and asking three other attendants, I discovered a kind attendant that looked at the same picture and pointed to the correct parking garage. We finally found my parked car.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(James 4:7, NIV)
During this stressful hour, I felt embarrassed, but I remained focused on finding my way back to my car. My mind was telling me that I was an idiot for losing my car and I kept wondering what the VP was thinking about me. Distraught, I kept praying and hearing the voice of God saying, Stay focused on Me, be quiet and ignore the other voice. So, I did. This helped me to remain calm during the chaos and confusion that the enemy was creating in that moment. On the way to the hotel, the VP finally said, “I hope you have a sense of humor because I will be talking about this memorable night for a while.” I was so grateful for his light remark that broke the awkward silence.
What I learned from this memorable night is that the enemy will attack your mind if you let him. In life, he will create chaos and confusion, which creates fear, and that causes your emotions to rule your actions. Thankfully, I was able to reject the lies that were in my mind and replace them with the peace of the Lord. In Colossians 3:15, the Bible tells us, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” I am so grateful that the Prince of Peace walks with me every step of the way (or 10,000 steps around the American Airlines Center) and that even when I get lost, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
If you have enjoyed this story, please leave a comment, or share your testimony of overcoming fear with us in the comment box below. May the Prince of Peace be with you this Christmas season!
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
(Colossians 2:15, NIV)