Freak Shows

Step Right Up! 10 cents to see the bearded lady and the tall man! Or for just one dollar, you can see the amazing lion faced boy!

When I was a kid growing up, pop up carnivals were a dime a dozen and seemed to pop up over night. There were rides galore, cotton candy and corn dogs and the smell or assorted fried and sugared foods filled the air. The smell, though enticing, was really close to sickening. Carnies were everywhere, and looked as though they hadn't been in the sun for months. Then, as quickly as they appeared ... the would mysteriously vanish in the night, with no trace that they were ever there ... and show up with all the flashing lights and wonder a town or two over. As a child, I was amazed by the wonderment of it all. Well, everything except the "amazing" and "spectacular" attractions that loomed just outside the entrance gate. Amazing and spectacular as they may have been described, creepy and borderline haunting is the way I remember them.

For there in the front ... the head liner, if you will, were the bearded lady, the tall man, the lion faced boy, or the "Unbelievable" serpent boy. Half boy/half snake. As a child ... the thought was horrific ... partly because of a genuine fear of snakes, partly because it was terrifying to me to think a kid could be half snake. But, at each and every roadside carnival was the FREAK SHOW. I suppose at that time, a carnival was incomplete without some kind of sideshow attraction. Quite obviously these memories are emblazened in my mind. The whole purpose of these side show attractions was to distract you from your original destination and take your money before you ever got inside to the actual carnival itself.

As my life moves forward, I have come to understand the workings of these carnies and the smoke and mirrors that made them such a wonder to see. And, though roadside carnivals are not such the common theme anymore with grandiose theme parks more prevalent than in days past, freak shows remain.

For me these days, though, where I notice these distractions popping up regularly is in my walk with God. I have a destination. I have a purpose, and God is leading me to that place. However, along the way freak shows pop up in the night, and I find myself warding them off repeatedly. And just like the roadies of old, they disappear as quickly as they appear, and pop up again two or three days down the road. Identifying them as quickly as possible is the key for me staying on pace with God and getting to the place in Him that manifests the scriptures that are the cornerstones of my life.

Spiritual Freak Shows are anything, anybody, everything and everybody that pop up to cause a distraction from my walk with God with the intended purpose of getting me off track. Things that take my focus off of the Lord and try to drive it toward something else. They are always temporal. They always have the appearance of importance without having any substance. And ... they are ALWAYS Spiritually suffocating. In years past, I have struggled greatly with these side shows, never knowing until they were put down just how detrimental they truly are.

I thank God for always guiding me back and waiting for me on the other side, yet these days, I am thanking God for teaching me how to identify them and call them out for what they are ... FREAK SHOWS; so, that my walk is not so greatly side tracked anymore.

Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way .... this is my path.

In 10:10,

Kalena Straightening