Equipped to Engage

Conflict. Not. A. Fan. I actually work very hard to avoid conflict whenever possible. And yet, somehow, I am never successful at avoiding every one. Conflict inevitably finds me. And I either respond in shock (I mean, I did everything I could to avoid this, how could it be happening?) or passive resistant acceptance (which is basically a lie that is a surrender to avoid further conflict).

As another teacher and a group of parents were praying for our students tonight, God gave me an “aha” moment. I started praying in my heart for us all to be equipped to engage conflicts that are ahead. We don’t need to seek out troubles necessarily - conflict will inevitably find us - but maybe energies might be better used in preparing to engage problems rather than trying to avoid them. Or, at the very least, also preparing while trying to prevent. (I believe wholeheartedly in preventative maintenance!)

Of course, that brought to mind Ephesians 6 and the armor of God as well as an illustration from a sermon I heard recently. The armor described in Ephesians 6 covers only the front - we are meant to go forward into battle with the Lord as our rear guard. If we’re running away, our backside is exposed! While it is just an illustration, and God always promises to be with us, the picture is pretty well drawn. He will give us the tools we need to fight the battles we face and win, and He goes with us. If we run away, we may be pushing the battle back to another time.

So the question today is: are you equipped and ready to engage in the battles of life? If not, what equipping do you need to help you engage?