The Great Escape

“Endure hardship as training; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not trained by his father?”  Hebrews 12:7

Wendy and I are reading a book by her friend, Vanessa Crosson, “Among the Myrtle Trees.” In it, she quotes her husband as saying, “I am built for the fight, not the run.”

All creatures, it seems, react to a difficult situation in one of two ways, “fight or flight.” Christians, though, are not built for flight. Have a look at Ephesians 6. There’s no protection for our backs.

Many of us are in the middle of some difficulty. The difficulty is not necessarily from God (although some certainly are), it may be of our own making, or a result of someone else’s choices. Regardless, though, Hebrews teaches us that in that situation, if we look hard enough, God is wanting to teach us something.

All of us, at one time or another, need to unplug and unwind from a situation that we’re in. This is healthy and can give us some perspective that we desperately need. If you are doing this more than once, though, in the same situation, be careful–you are probably escaping.

I’ve been seeing this week that escape leads to addiction. Your drug of choice may be alcohol, food, sex, music, TV, video games, hunting, fishing, sports, whatever, but it all leads to addiction of some sort and, in the end, will damage your relationships, your family, your home, and your walk with the Lord.

We are made to stand. That’s what Ephesians 6:13 says:

” Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.“

I have never served in the military, but many of my family members have. None of them liked boot camp. All of them found it to be one of the best experiences of their lives. Why? Because they learned something very important about themselves. They learned how to be an overcomer.

In your situation right now God is wanting you to learn something. He wants you to overcome. The situation may not change, but you will.

In your situation is the best experience of your life. God has something there he wants you to learn. Endure hardship, stand strong, overcome. The battle’s not over until we win.