Sometimes in life, there are battles that you don’t fight.  The warrior in me really despises these situations but I am sure that those of you who are parents will probably understand what I mean, especially as it pertains to your children.  I had one of those moments this past holiday weekend and I can say in all honesty, it was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do.  What makes it even worse is that I knew that this particular battle was coming and everything inside of me screamed out to engage in and fight this fight.  The problem, however, was that every reason I could come up with that justified my rationale for entering into this battle was purely selfish and wrapped in emotion.  Furthermore, this battle would have hurt a couple of people that I love very much and so my victory, which I was pretty sure I would achieved had I chosen that route, would have been tainted with the metaphorical blood of those I had convinced myself I was fighting for.  Anyone ever been in a situation like this?  Were you able to walk away from the battle?  If you did walk away, how many times did you argue with yourself about your decision?

At some point this weekend, Psalms 46:10 came to mind.  “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”   This verse is a relatively new one for me so I am pretty certain that someone was trying to get my attention.  I wonder who that could have been.  Interesting enough, from what I read about this particular piece of scripture, the words “be still”, when translated from Hebrew, probably literally means “Enough”.  I remember times in my life when my parents used the word “enough” with me.  Here is a tip for you kids in the audience – when you hear the word “enough” from the adults in your life, you probably ought to stop doing whatever it is that you are doing and give them your full and undivided attention.  Bill Cosby did a comedy routine sometime in the late 80’s or early 90’s and this concept was included in his act.  If you have the opportunity to view it, I believe it is called “Parenthood” and it is well worth your time.

Since the verse itself is pretty self-explanatory, I don’t believe that I need to add any commentary here.  God’s message was very clear to me so I did, and am doing, what my Heavenly Father told me to do.  It didn’t make the situation any easier but I was able to make peace with letting go of the battle.  For me, this is an opportunity now – an opportunity to witness first hand God’s completely awesome and glorious plan unfold before my very eyes.  All that He is asking of me is just to walk in faith.  With Christ’s help, I believe I can do that.  While I don’t know for certain what the outcome will be, I know and I believe, that God has this one taken care of and doesn’t need me limiting His sovereign nature by interfering in His plans.

In the letters written by the apostle Paul, he makes reference to the fact that he is praying for the intended audience and asks that they pray for him in return.  As you read this article, please know that I am praying for you right now, especially as it pertains to situations such as this.  I humbly ask that you pray for me in return.  We are all in this battle known as life together and together, through Christ, we can achieve victory – even if that means letting go of the battle and walking in faith.  May God extend His peace and mercy to all of you.    

Jim Helzer