It is impossible to go through life without experiencing some insults, indignities and offenses. Some are worse than others, and no one goes through life unscathed.\u00a0 The question is, \u201cWhen we, or one of our loved ones, are hurt, who should fight the battle?\u201d<\/p>\n
It has taken a great deal of life experience for me to realize that when I try to fight my own battles, the result is never good. I\u2019ve learned over the years that I need to step back and let God fight my battles.\u00a0 When I do so, not only does He make things right, but I typically come out better than before.<\/p>\n
In the 23rd Psalm, we are reminded that God is our vindicator.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.\u201d Psalm 23:5<\/p>\n
When I let God handle my battles, that verse reflects what happens to me. Time and again, God sets things right when I let an offense go.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have to do anything other than keep trying to live my life according to His will.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll give a simple example. One day I overheard someone say something unkind about my daughter.\u00a0 It was a minor remark, but nevertheless, I was ready to lose my temper. \u00a0Then I said to myself, \u201cHang on.\u00a0 Let God be her vindicator.\u201d\u00a0 The next day she competed in an academic competition and won in her division.\u00a0 I knew that God had placed a special blessing on her that day.\u00a0 He symbolically had prepared a table for her in the presence of her enemies.<\/p>\n
I have countless examples of where God has fought my battles for me when I have had the wisdom to stand back and allow Him to do so. In each instance, God has created a better result than I could have.\u00a0 Now it may not have been on my timetable, but in His time, He brings about the best outcomes.<\/p>\n
It is important to remember that it isn\u2019t our job to set other people straight. Yes, if you are a parent, you have to correct your children so you can send civilized individuals out into the world.\u00a0 However, aside from our children, it isn\u2019t our job to correct other people when they aren\u2019t doing the right thing.\u00a0 In fact, many of us waste a lot of energy trying to get everyone else to act properly.\u00a0 But that is God\u2019s job, not ours.\u00a0 Our job is to focus on our own behavior, which is enough work anyway!<\/p>\n
Significantly, when we ask God to fight our battles, we aren\u2019t asking that locusts and famine befall our enemies (well, perhaps some of us are). That is pointless.\u00a0 Having bad things happen to other people doesn\u2019t erase the offense that we\u2019ve endured.\u00a0 There is a very apt quote from Frank Sinatra:\u00a0 \u201cThe best revenge is massive success.\u201d\u00a0 While I\u2019m not a proponent of taking \u201crevenge\u201d on people, the sentiment is a good one.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want to hurt the people who have hurt us.\u00a0 Instead, we want to regain our confidence by asking God to bless us with success or something else that is positive.<\/p>\n
Now I realize that there are some circumstances that we can\u2019t ignore. We can\u2019t always step back and do nothing.\u00a0 If we know that someone is being hurt or abused, we can\u2019t turn a blind eye.\u00a0 If we ourselves are being hurt or abused, we likewise have to act.\u00a0 And in those situations we have to act swiftly and with conviction.\u00a0 But hopefully when we act, it is with the wisdom and guidance of God.<\/p>\n
It takes a great deal of faith to let go of offenses and let God handle the difficult matters in our lives. However, that is what we are called to do.\u00a0 As stated in 1 Peter,<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.\u201d\u00a0\u00a01 Peter 5:6-7<\/p>\n
So the next time that you are offended, step back and ask God to fight your battle. It is so much easier to let go of an offense when we don\u2019t have to worry about making things right.\u00a0 Then we can go back to living the peaceful, joyful life that God intended for us to live.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It is impossible to go through life without experiencing some insults, indignities and offenses. Some are worse than others, and no one goes through life unscathed.\u00a0 The question is, \u201cWhen we, or one of our loved ones, are hurt, who should fight the battle?\u201d It has taken a great deal of life experience for me…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n