Choosing Our Battles Wisely
The following post was written by Ednella of Think Upon These Things, a rebelutionary blogger with a passion for her Savior.
“Getzlaf nails Chuck Kobasew along the boards with a hard hit. Corey Perry boards Byron Ritchie a second later and all players skate over and start pushing and shoving.”
- HockeyFights.com, Fight Log, April 25, 2006 -
A few months ago, I was amused by to be told that, allegedly, the first two English words that French-Canadian hockey players are taught when they arrive in the States to play hockey are: “Wanna fight?” I don’t know if this is true or not, but it certainly tells us a lot about the sport — and the players.
Hockey is one of the most violent sports, with players repeatedly engaging in fights like the one listed above. I’ll be honest. My first reaction was, “What’s their problem? It’s just a game.”
The Question
Here is my question for us: What do we fight for? Maybe we don’t get into fist fights, but what things do we rank as worth defending? More importantly, which of those things does God think are worth defending? Chances are we have some misplaced priorities.
I’m afraid that I often find myself concerned about really stupid things. You see, I am a “creature of order.” I like to have things just so, and for them to stay that way. Of course, that’s not very easy when you have younger siblings.
As my family will testify, one of my biggest pet peeves is where people sit. In my mind, not only does everyone have a seat, but everyone should sit in their seat and no one elses. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always go over too well with my younger brother, Stefan, self-proclaimed ‘King of the Table’.
I find it a constant struggle, even in silly situations like that, to let go of my personal preferences. The truth is, they really don’t matter.
What does matter?
In Romans 12:10, Paul tells us to “love one another with brotherly affection.” As Christians we are to build each other up, not tear each other down over insignificant things.
In Ephesians 4:29, Paul exhorts us: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
These passages and others like them have convinced me that we need to choose our battles more wisely. As I’ve thought about what we should be fighting for, three main things stand out: faith, family, and friends.
Fighting for Faith
About a week ago, I read a story on The Rebelution about a Chinese girl who was martyred by the Communists for her faith. Commanded to spit on God’s Word, she refused. It was a short story, but it made a big impact on me. Faced with the same decision, what would I do? I pray that I would stand up like that girl did. I want to fight for faith.
Fighting for Family
If you are like me, you have had your share of sibling conflicts. How do we fight for our family, instead of against it? I have found two biblical passages that are very helpful.
The first is Ephesians 4:26, where we are told to not to let the sun go down while we are still angry. The second is Matthew 5:23-24, where Jesus commands us to immediately leave what we are doing and reconcile ourselves with our brother.
In a society where people are trying to redefine marriage and the family, we need to stand up and fight.
Fighting for Friends
One of my favorite examples of fighting for your friend is the Old Testament story of David and Jonathan, where Jonathan remained loyal to David and saved his life. We need more David and Jonathan friendships today. In John 15:13, Jesus tell us: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.”
So in conclusion, let me restate my question: What should we be fighting for? Not the outcome of a hockey game, not where people sit at the table, but our faith, our family, and our friends.
Be sure to visit Ednella’s blog, Think Upon These Things, and leave a comment. Thank you, Ednella, for the great post.
Want to write a guest post for The Rebelution? Email us at info [at] therebelution [dot] com.
May 5th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
My faith is fought in daily struggles. Here, salvation and works are inseperable. How can one not show their salvation by not having works? I mean - you can’t just stop living! One who leaps over a crevasse gains faith in themselves. They have an inkling that they could might at first, then they go with that intuition and it’s proved. Except - in this case the faith would be in God, providing us that we don’t fall in the crevasse. Metaphorically speaking. Of course. Unless you are oft to jump over physical cracks. Of course.
May 5th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
My first reaction to this post was, “What a perfect follow-up to that “My First Shower.” Then I read Dan’s comment, and felt he was somehow right too. So, am I just a push-over, or is there something else here? I’m going to go on the assumption of the later.
I know it sounds really weird, but I believe that in many things there is a balance that must be reached in the Christian walk. Now don’t just turn me off for that, stay with me here. There’s a balance between love and justice, grace and holiness, gentleness and wisdom. It’s like an airplane; it must have both wings before it can fly.
Dan’s comment is perfectly valid; our struggles ARE in daily life, but for all that we must not lose sight of the big picture. Also, I suspect Dan and the author, Ednella, are talking about different things. You’ll have to verify that, Ednella, and I’ll leave it to you.
May 6th, 2006 at 2:24 am
Thank you both for your comments! My basic intent of the post, especially with the section on fighting for your faith, was that when persecution comes we should stand up for what God’s word says and what we know to be true. Standing up to the Communists is not a chance many of us get everyday. Standing up comes in a variety of different ways. FOr example, my brother Ian plays the trumpet in an orchestra, and one of the songs they were going to play had blasphemous lyrics, so Ian called up the Maestro saying he couldn’t play. Or it might be talking to your biology teacher about creation. Standing up comes in all shapes and sizes.
The overall gist of the post was that their are things that are not important to fight for, and there are other things that we definantly need to take a firm stand on. Instead of, let’s use one of my pet peeves, arguing windows vs. linux, we need to fight for what will matter in the long run.
I hope this answers any questions you have.
May 6th, 2006 at 2:37 am
That was good. Fighting, whether in the physical, or spiritual realm, is often a confusing and touchy subject.
May 6th, 2006 at 3:42 am
One thing I’ve been mulling over lately is the abortion issue. A few years ago, we were talking about the holocaust and I told my class that those who do nothing are as guilty as those who did it. Well, I’ve been thinking about abortion, and about what to do about it. I’m wondering how does one fight for physical things, when our battle is not against flesh and blood?
May 6th, 2006 at 4:19 am
While the big things may be more noticeable in fighting, the little things are cause for battles, too. Whether or not we have the right attitude when doing a menial task, whether or not we choose to watch the filth on the television in a store, and whether or not we spend a few more minutes on IM or with our families - all these are little things, little battles, but they form the core of our life. If we can’t choose the right in the little things, we will never choose the right when it comes to big things.
May 6th, 2006 at 4:44 am
Excellent points! Thank you for this post, Ednella. I liked the chair illustration. We have dealt with some of the same things in my own home!
May 7th, 2006 at 4:45 am
wow. I really need to fight for my family and friends more. thank you for a great post!
May 10th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Establishing His KIngdom and its righteousness, is worth fighting for.
As christians we are in the fight whether we want it or not.
And chocolate, that is worth fighting for.
God Bless
May 12th, 2006 at 2:57 am
Note from Adminstrator: Please direct all questions or comments inapplicable to the post in question to rebelution [dot] blogspot [at] gmail [dot] com.
Thank you.
May 24th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
The only battle’s Christ “fought” where with the religious hypocrites of the day. he was never threatend by the government or the pagans around him. he understood the fact that we are in this world but not of it, and that we can’t expect this world to honor christ or even morality. instead of fighting, he loved the sinners. he reached out to them and lived such a contagiously loving life that people were changed - except for the religious leaders. They were so busy fighting for morality that they missed the point: grace. Grace that our saviour brings to save us from our own filthy attempts of morality.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
I’m a generally laid back person, but i do have my pet peeves. They seam important, but all in all they are really minor. My biggest pet peeve is people using my things without asking my permission. I’m not even a controll freek, but I still get really anoyed when a member of the family wears my clothes, takes the food off my plate that I woudn’t eat anyway. I know souds weird, but everybody has their own quirks too. Of course that doesn’t mean we should say “oh well that’s just the way I am” we should look at our issues and ask ourselves, “what really matters? Will eterniy alter its course just because she ate the crust from my bread?” If the answer is no, then we should ask ourselves “what will make a difference for eternity?” It is the whittness we are to others that makes an eternal difference. We-me inclded- should overcome our problems, because God tells us to imatate Christ in love for one another. If we think it’s too hard, which I would add it is alone, we need to give our quirks to God and let Him shape us.
February 26th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I love this post because I FIGHT with my family insted of for them
July 19th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
So true…