We’ve been here too many times – stretched from one point of life to the other, too much is topsy-turvy, and way too many times we are simply overwhelmed by the fight to feel accomplished, much less the fight to survive. Either we are prepared for the continued fight of our lives, or we are simply too tired to put up our dukes. TKO. It’s over. Throw in the towel. Just quit and walk away.
Ever been there?
I know I have
Too often it feels
Like it’s a daily occurrence
Did I say Daily?
How about second by second…
What’s at stake? Besides the obvious choice you make to battle certain things, I believe there are deeper stakes we seldom consider. You know, your character, mind, and heart. Your family, kids and even your marriage. Your ministry and the heartbeat of God in your community.
The future we have before us that is being passed to new generations that must live with the choices we make today.
As a pastor, I feel this battle often. The distractions that happen while the church is going on is a huge battle for our attention span. Perhaps it’s my problem with my teaching, preaching and prep skills, but I also know that we are easily distracted by electronics, kids and those sitting around us.
Take note of this. Some of the most solemn instruction we can ever receive is swallowed up by other distractions, and immediately you see the attention span drop to nothing, zero, zilch.
Understanding of the times.
From the beginning of scripture, we have lived with the end in mind. From the punishment given to Adam and Eve, there was a promise of a different future. But it was not to be without challenges. There would be seasons of good, and bad. Up and down. Moving forward and backward. Good decisions, right alongside bad ones out the very next breath.
Have you ever thought about the natural world? The tide is never always in, nor is it always out. Ebb and flow. In and out. Coming and going. Life is constantly on the move!
Seasons. The natural path and rotation of the planet are very similar to the structure of our personal lives. Decades. Generations. Centuries. Life keeps revolving, just as the Earth revolves around the Sun. The tilt brings about the seasons, and often it seems we are tilted too long in one direction. But like a spinning top, we know the effects of gravity, speed, and rotation can change dramatically.
Often, change comes when we are least expecting a change!
Have you ever felt like David standing in the room of Goliaths? (1 Samuel 17) They are roaring and intimidating. Here’s you! What do you do? Quake and quiver, or simply realize that life requires a battle to be fought, a victory to be had, wounds to be cared for…
Here’s the key. There are battles that we need to fight. We cannot back down! The fight must happen, or we lose the war. There will even come a time that all we need to do is simply show up, and watch God fight our battles for us! (2 Chronicles 20:15-18) But until God speaks to you like He did Jehoshaphat, then you had better be prepared for War!
In a time when there is too much hostility, hatred, frustration and vitriolic words floating through the ether. Trim yourself away from the electronics that has opened up the world for everyone to have a common voice and we are flooded with too many swaying personalities. Loud incessant raving lunatics, are they! (In the Voice of Yoda!) The world has swallowed up our good intentions and replaced them with something that I cannot even put a name to. We are not interested in the spiritual things of our past and are growing further and further away from Godly living.
Use your Key!
Equally, it seems the energy required to keep making good decisions is rapidly depleted and we have failed to find the source of renewal. Our strength is gone.
This seems to be a continual thought for me as I age. I’m tired of the battle, but the battle is mine to fight. I must remember that I’m not in this alone. There is a support system that surrounds me that I often overlook. I have learned this, but I must remember every day, use that which you have! Every person I talk to, and without sharing the burden, I seem to get an inspired word that lifts me over the next hurdle. I would like to think that my words are also the help that someone else needs and appreciates.
Here’s another key to put on your keyring. Without sharing too much, we need to have someone that keeps us sharpened for the struggle. Sometime back I came across these words from a novel I was reading. Its impact has stayed with ever since.
A knife is sharpened on stone, steel is tempered by fire, but men must be sharpened by men. ~Louis L'Amour (Walking Drum) Share on X
Where does this principle come from? It’s timeless. Ageless. It’s known by everyone. But we button ourselves into a corner and ride out the proverbial storm in silence. (Proverbs 27:17, Hebrews 4:12) God said, “It is not good for man to be alone…” (Genesis 2:18), so He created a helper. A friend and companion. Someone to improve one’s own viewpoint by.
So. What do we do? Find someone to simply have a conversation with. You do not need to unload your particular battle, nor the struggles you are loaded with… Just talk. Converse. The weather. Storm. Sports. Family. Your car. Listen to the words and the sentiment on the other end of the conversation. More than likely, there will be a word meant just for you that you can grab up and use.
Come on. I dare you.