Battle, Rest, Repeat

"fight the good fight of faith"

1 Timothy 6:12

Boy, some days feel like a fight, don't they?  Relentless and exhausting and frustrating.  Interacting with people that we've been commanded to love, when we're not feeling love.   Am I growing from that?  Or if I choose the wrong battle, do I not grow?  I suppose, as long as we're learning from our mistakes, they are part of the process.

Am I choosing the right battles?  Some of them, admittedly, give us no choice.  They appear in front of us, and our only option is to draw our sword.

Other battles are quicksand.  We should have seen them coming, and avoided them entirely.  Or if that's not possible, then we should know after the first step that we are not on solid ground, and backtrack in a hurry.

The verse before today's verse (which would be verse 11, if you're keeping score) says, "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."  That is the fight.  No matter the people involved, no matter the issue.  As I deal with an unpleasant situation that is someone else's doing, am I pursuing godliness?  As I deal with difficult or challenging people, am I pursuing endurance?  As I explain to my kids the decisions I made, and why, am I exhibiting both righteousness and love?

Paul says the good fight, is the fight of faith.  It's not a battle with someone, or against a situation, it's a battle to keep my faith, to strengthen and increase my faith.

It is a fight.  But we have been given the necessary armor for defense, and the necessary weapon for offense.  And the victory is secure.  And I'm grateful that He promises rest.  Because tomorrow, we have to be ready to fight again.

Now that's some much needed rest!

~ "This is the victory that has overcome the world, 

even our faith." ~

1 John 5:4