Concealed Weapons

My eleven-year old son was busted last week for possession of a concealed weapon at school. Okay, technically it was not a weapon but a “Leatherman” — a Swiss Army type utility featuring:

A. Knife
B. Nail Cleaner
C. Nail File
D. Medium Screwdriver
E. Scissors
F. Tweezers
G. Extra Small Screwdriver
H. Bottle Opener
I. Lanyard Attachment
J. Phillips Screwdriver
K. Ruler

Copied straight from the Leatherman User’s Guide, knife tops the list. And in most books, knife = pointed implement with sharp blade for cutting = weapon.

Back in the old days, back in the 20th Century, lots of boys carried pocketknives; some men still do. It was a “boy thing,” like a union card, handy for camping, fishing, just about anything a boy would want to do, including sordid activities probably involving small animals that I (not a boy) would know nothing about. Today, of course, you can’t take a pocketknife much anywhere—not airplanes, concerts, football games, and not to school, which is why and where Quinn was busted.

It was a playground supervisor who discovered Quinn with his nifty, hand-dandy, all-purpose Leatherman companion. The contraband item was confiscated. He had a little chat with his teacher, another little one with the grade level supervisor, and a BIG one with his parents who had to write a note before he could return to school.

I was livid…
My son said it was an accident, he didn’t remember he had it in his pocket until he got to school, yada-yada-yada. But how could he, I thought? I tried to tell myself that it was a common enough occurrence, even a rite of passage among parents. But having successfully helped two offspring survive childhood without incident (and particularly this kind of incident), this took me by surprise.

I told myself that countless parents over hundreds of generations have had to talk to their children about not bringing that knife, javelin, tomahawk, blow gun, slingshot, those nunchucks, cherry bombs, poison darts, and ninja stars to school. I stood at the end of a long line of parents who penned notes on papyrus sheets, rice paper scrolls, stone tablets, animal hides, banana leaves, personal letterhead, scraps of lined folder paper, and Post-It Notes saying “My child has told me about the incident and will not bring the contraband article to school again. Please permit him to return to school.” Once more, I am not alone. Or as one friend put it, “Welcome to the other world of parenting.”

Leatherman in the Hand of God
…or God Always Has Something to Say
My son was carrying a concealed weapon, but don’t we all? I’m not talking about guns slung low on our hips, knives buried in our pockets, or bombs strapped to our waists, but much worse. In our hearts we carry secret arsenals and accumulated "Weapons of Mass Destruction." Jesus said:
For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. [Mark7:21-22 ]

You don’t need to be a Christian to admit Jesus is right. We all conceal weapons: anger, jealousy, hate, long-held grudges, unforgiveness. We stab with sarcastic comebacks, shoot down opponents with smirks and sneers, launch campaigns of condemnation. We put down others and keep them underfoot with prideful arrogance, trap them with half-truth lies, gossip, and slander. We disdainfully dismiss and demean those we hate—and even those we claim to love.

Sticks and Stones…
We hide our weapons, but Jesus talked about them openly. Long before someone marketed the questionable rhyme, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me,” Jesus plainly warned us about the impact of our words. In Matthew 5, he says:
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. [Mt 7:21-22]

…and Other Matters of the Heart
And then, there is the imagination. Our ability to envision the unseen, project the possibilities, and fantasize the future can be a powerfully creative tool. But it easily becomes dangerous and destructive when it becomes “I”-Magination— discontent that feeds on “I, Mine, and My.” In Jesus’s words:
You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [Mt 5:27-28]

Jesus is not just talking to men here. Women, ‘fess up. There’s a reason for the popularity of television’s “Desperate Housewives.” It’s called lust, ladies. Don’t tell me you take the kids to “Pirates of the Carribean” because it’s Disney when you really mean Depp (Johnny Depp).

Opt In/ Opt Out
Most of us can’t fathom it possible to live without shooting off several rounds of ammunition every day. Self-defense, we say. I’m hurting so bad already, why let someone have an in on my wounded heart. No one’s going to protect me unless I protect myself. Might as well get them before they get me.

But why get them at all? Last one standing might win the game, but, really, who wants to be left standing alone? There is another way. God says to us in Psalm 91:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
Read the complete Psalm 91

God can and will protect us. He covers us, not just with a shield or armaments, but with his very self. Jesus took the bullet for us, stood in the way of everything wanting to harm us when he sacrificed his life, his life for ours. And he faithfully—without fail, without hesitation— stands between us and destruction.

What I Learned
Quinn and his Leatherman were found out. I’m glad because it was right that he not take it to school. I’m also glad because when he was found out, so was I. His small pocketknife made me search the pockets of my heart and admit my own concealed weapons. Complete disarmament will take a while, but I’m starting one Leatherman at a time.

Other helpful scripture
Luke 12:2-7

Jesus and Making a Fresh Start