Run Like You Mean It!

“As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.” — Hebrews12:1

My great-grandfather was wounded during an assault on the German lines during the Battle of the Somme in France during WWI. He was one of the 57% casualties suffered in his corps. A quote from a German machine gunner regarding the first day of the battle gives us some idea of why the casualty rates were so high: “We were very surprised to see them walking, we had never seen that before… I noticed one of them walking calmly, carrying a walking stick. When we started firing, we just had to load and reload. They went down in their hundreds. We didn’t have to aim, we just fired into them. If only they had run, they would have overwhelmed us.”

It’s unthinkable to walk under fire in a modern battle. No one walked casually up to Iraqi positions in Kuwait, no one strolled along the streets of Mogadishu, and no one calmly wandered into Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan. These days we run. Short, controlled bursts of running, weaving and keeping low to present less of a target. An assault is not a casual affair, but one that takes thought, alertness, focus, responsiveness and energy. We run, keeping an eye on those around us, on the enemy and on the ground in front of us so that we will not stumble. Walking is not an option when someone is shooting at you.

Strange then, isn’t it, how many of us walk casually into the spiritual battles that we are engaged in every day. We can nonchalantly ignore the mines and obstacles that Satan places on the battlefields of life to injure or destroy our marriages and families. We can casually allow destructive things to creep into our homes. We may turn a blurred, if not blind eye to material on the internet, movies and TV that undermine our commitment to our spouse, or start our children in destructive habits. I challenged the 12-year-old son of a friend once to look away when a lingerie advertisement appeared on TV. He responded, “Why? It’s only an advertisement!” He was walking into “enemy fire.”

Are we playing with temptation instead of fleeing from it? I’ve heard married soldiers say about people they were not married to: “you can look, but don’t touch.” Thinking that way about someone you are not married to is walking into “enemy fire.” And there are other ways that we can walk into the dangers of battle. For example, we sometimes choose pride over humility and refuse to ask or grant forgiveness, convincing ourselves that we are justified. Or we don’t always think about the words we use, even when we can see the damage we are doing. Plus we can fail to make positive communication a priority when we are apart. If we do not choose to make our relationship with our spouse a priority when at home together, or separated by deployments, we are walking into “enemy fire.”

I am amazed how many people still manage to claim that they are innocent victims and look shocked when their worlds collapse after they have ignored enemy fire instead of avoiding it. They walked calmly into Satan’s machine guns when they should have RUN! The apostle Paul talks often of running in his letters. There is no mistaking the urgency he wants us to adopt in life. He tells us in Hebrews to “rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way… and run with determination.” That’s good advice for physical and spiritual battles. Life isn’t a casual thing, and if we treat it casually, we should not be surprised when we see ourselves and our family stumble or fall on the battlefield. Rest when you can, but stay alert and when the enemy opens fire, RUN!

Questions to Share:

1. What destructive habits (hurtful words, lack of forgiveness, uncontrolled TV/Internet, playing with temptation, etc.) have you overlooked in yourself, your marriage or your family?

2. What positive habits (encouraging words, good communication, praying together, Bible reading, etc.) have you not yet instilled in yourself, your marriage or your family?

3. Agree together to work on a few of the changes you need to make and ask the Holy Spirit to keep you accountable.