FLIGHT OR FIGHT AND ENGAGE

This is another one of those learning days for me. I don't have it all figured out yet but I'm sure God is working on that. The only reason I can come up with for this lesson is that someone that is going to read this must have the same type of problem. Something they can't beat on their own. Still yet, it could be that I never really dealt completely with the problem. I don't know.

After I became a Christian I still had a lot of major issues in my life. And...I'm sure there will always be issues, I'm just believing that they will be smaller ones as time goes on. One of them was just being able to sit through church without feeling like I had to get out of there as fast as I could. That hasn't happened in a long time. Much to my surprise it happened again today. It seemed like it was going to be a perfectly normal Sunday when I got there but it didn't last long. It really kind of messes with your head and makes talking to people harder for me than normal. Even the people I like. Leaving as quickly as possible is my only thought. So as soon as it was over I was headed for the door. Of course there were three different people that decided they wanted to talk to me. It just prolonged my agony a little. God "does" have a sense of humor!

I'm sure most of you have heard of the "Fight or Flight" syndrome. That is what I kept thinking of after leaving church. After dwelling on it for a few hours I decided that for me it will be:

Flight or Fight and Engage.

I've decided that I have two choices. Most of my life I have chosen the wrong one but with Gods help I'm trying to change that. Anyone else that is reading this that has the problem of running the other way when things get tough, needs to pay attention. Running is the "Flight" part of the equation. Anyone can do that. The thing is, if your a Christian you don't have to run from things. You just need to run to God and let Him help you. That's what He's there for and what He wants to do. It doesn't matter what the problem is. Mine might seem pretty small to you. You might be thinking, what could be so hard about going to church? Believe me when I tell you that I have thought the same thing. But apparently, for me, sometimes it's not as easy as it sounds. Whatever it is that you want to flee from try standing your ground and asking for Gods help instead. Don't run. Remember, we really don't have anything to fear with God on our side.

That brings us to the "Fight" segment. Sometimes we just have to push ourselves, or fight, for what we need to change. It's pretty simple to say but not always easy to do. I can tell myself all week long that it "will be" different when I go to church on Sunday. I "will not" want to run out as soon as I get there. I "will" talk to people that I want to talk to. However, from past experience I know that things change once I'm in the building. So, you just have got to
"Fight" for it. Whatever "It" is. When you know the situation is going to come up do some things to prepare. Start your "Fight". Get up early and read your bible and talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you with the situation. Not just to get through it but to beat it. He's there for you. You just have to ask Him to help you fight your battles. From experience I can tell you that it may not happen the first time. And if it does, the problem may come back. That's okay. You just need to ask God to help you to keep fighting the problem. He's there for you even when your not sure He is.

Then comes the "Engage" part. Make a conscious choice to deal with the problem. Learn from past experiences. We can all learn from our failures. In the past 16 months I have had a lot of failures. More than I ever thought possible. I was hoping that being a Christian would make my issues go away. It doesn't work that way. You have to make that conscious choice to change them, "Engage". Get a mind set that with God's help you can change the way you deal with the things you tend to run from. Assume an obligation to your problem. "Engage" yourself with God.
Become meshed together with Him."Engage"...actively commit yourself to dealing with your problem with the help of God. He is there for you.

Even though I know that God told me all of this for myself I can't help but think that someone else needed all of this too. It seems for myself that I have to go down the same road more than once for every problem I encounter. Maybe God is just telling me that I can't let up and think that I've got it made. I still have to totally rely on Him to make it through on a day to day basis.

Just remember, GOD CAN. Whatever the issue.