“Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:26)
So, now I’ve arrived… Back on US soil…! It’s hard to believe that only two days ago I was in the air, sailing over the Atlantic Ocean, bound for the heartland of America… As I adjust to being home, the dust is settling and all the powerful things we learned over last year now collides with the reality of life at home… And, I’m realizing that this life of ours is a Fight…
Now that I’m home, I will need to be more intentional about applying the things that I’ve learned… To fight to continue to live a lifestyle of forgiveness, confrontation, generosity, meditation, surrender, quietness within, readiness without, intentional action, purposeful listening to my Father… To continue in this, I will have to FIGHT for it…
With the onset of the holidays, once again I am struck by the complexity of living with and loving family… To set healthy boundaries while pressing in to the difficult relationships so that they can be better, rather than giving in to the temptation to run away and cut them off altogether… To continue to love when you have no ability within yourself to love… To continue in this, I will have to FIGHT…
The reality that soon bills will again have to be paid, new responsibilities will be given out, that life goes on… To continue to believe in the unbelievable, to pursue the seemingly unreachable, to trust God for the impossible… To continue in this I will have to FIGHT…
“Fight the good fight of the faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12)
See, this year I have learned the value and necessity of learning to FIGHT… While it is easy to simply go with the flow of society, follow the waywardness of your own complaining heart, or listening to the many voices around you, it does not often lead to the peace we look for… I have often indulged in these things… Taking the “easy” path that society has told me to follow, listening to well-meaning voices around me, seeing what happens next… it has left me wanting…
Rather than giving up or giving in, I need to be persistent, never giving up, taking action… To never give up on the impossible, but instead pursue, prepare, and fiercely believe the impossible will soon be a reality!
And so, as I return home, preparing for this next chapter, I will maintain this “fighting” spirit… To FIGHT for difficult relationships because people matter… To FIGHT to love and care when I don’t feel like it because that will make all the difference… To FIGHT for my goals and the impossible dreams God has planted in my heart…
No, I will not take simply what comes… Waiting to see what will happen… I will FIGHT for my dreams, FIGHT for my relationships, FIGHT to live out what Jesus has called me to… Life is a FIGHT worth all your effort!
“Don’t wait for a perfect moment; take a moment and make it perfect.”
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
(2 Corinthians 10:4)
*”I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”*
(2 Timothy 4:7)
