Run

I heard a great line in church today, a rule to live by, amongst others. The message was on one of the commandments, Thou shalt not commit adultery. One of the suggestions made was to never fight when you can run. In other words, why put yourself in a position where you may have to struggle and fight to defend what you value, why put important integrity issues such as fidelity in jeopardy? This brings me to my topic, the one that started in my head when I heard the line never fight when you can run, and is now translating into written word. I had a fight with someone I considered to be a close friend. She invited me into disagreement and I could see that the exchange was not going to be pleasant. I stated "do we have to fight?" to which she responded, "yes, but we will stay to clean up the mess". We heatedly stated our points of view, saw our way to the end and remained friends...until our second fight. She initiated this one too and as I look back, I can see how my first instincts would have served me well had I heeded them, had I listened to my own question of "do we have to fight?". The answer, it was and is a resounding no. I know myself very well. I have a temper and my tongue is sharp and cutting. I don't like fighting and would rather not because from what I have experienced and witnessed thus far in life, fighting hasn't solved a thing. A friend of mine described my experience, these two fights that I unintentionally found myself in, as a trap that had been set for me. At this point, it doesn't matter what, how, who or why the fights occurred, all that matters to me is that it doesn't happen again. I violated my own code of ethics, my own standards of conduct by engaging with another as though that person were my enemy, someone I had to fight to the proverbial death with in order to survive. Lies, all of it. Ephesians 6:12 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." The Bible speaks about guarding the heart. I don't think we can do this without being really clear about what this means and being fortified in Truth when called into the various life arenas that can have us tempted to violate what is sacred. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." I am gonna call myself a runner from evil from now on. The fighting I do, it will be on my knees, hands raised to the Father in worship and prayer for all earthly battles to be fought and won on His terms, not mine. The casualties of war, of fighting, are relationships, friendships battered and bruised and lost. The cost is extreme, unnecessary. Remember, never fight when you can run. Grin, I like this, a lot.