The Bandit of Joy

[MajestyJo]

~THE BANDIT OF JOY~

By Max Lucado



Black Bart terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line

for thirteen years,

roaring like a tornado in

and out of the Sierra Nevadas,
spooking the most rugged frontiersmen.

During his reign of terror

between 1875 and 1883,

he is credited with stealing the bags

and the breath away from

twenty-nine different stagecoach crews.

A hood hid his face.

No victim ever saw him.

No artist ever sketched
his features.

No sheriff could ever track his trail.

He never fired a shot or took a hostage.

He didn't have to.

His presence was enough to paralyze.

He reminds me of another thief-one

who's still around.

You know him.
Oh you've never seen his face, either.

You couldn't describe his voice

or sketch his profile.

But when he's near,

you know it in a heartbeat.

If you've ever been in the hospital,

you've felt the leathery brush
of his hand against yours.
If you've ever sensed someone was following you,

you've felt his cold breath down your neck.
If you've awakened late at night

in a strange room,

it was his husky whisper

that stole your slumber.

You know him.

It was this thief who left your palms sweaty
as you went for the job
interview.
It was this con man who convinced you
to swap your integrity for
popularity.
And it was this scoundrel who
whispered in your ear as you left

the cemetery, “You may be next.”

He's the Black Bart of the soul.

He doesn't want your money.

He doesn't want your diamonds.

He won't go after your car.

He wants something far more precious.

He wants your peace of mind-your joy.

His name?
Fear.



His task is to take your courage

and leave you timid and trembling.
Fear of death, fear of failure,

fear of God, fear of tomorrow-

his arsenal is vast.

His goal?

To create cowardly, joyless souls.
_____________________________
From The Applause of Heaven

From my site Soundness of Minsd