No matter how hard you try to ignore a problem, it doesn’t magically solve itself. If you refuse to deal with it, actually, your problems will multiply! As the Book of Amos says, “no matter how fast you run, you will not escape.” I like to say that “you can run… but you can’t hide!”
We can try and run or hide or push things aside but eventually we’ll have to slow down because we tire of running. When we slow down, all of our junk will coming rolling behind us. Interestingly, all of the time that we’ve been running, our junk has been snowballing. It just gets bigger and bigger. Kristin Armstrong says that “if we aren’t brave enough to face it when it’s ‘small,’ it’ll run over us later.”
I heard the analogy once of a person always shoveling his life’s garbage down into the basement and closing the door. That way it is unseen and we can ignore it. “Out of sight… out of mind.” Unfortunately, after a while, that garbage begins to rot down in the basement and a stink begins to permeate our “house.” Our attitude, our demeanor and our behavior begin to stink too! NOW is the time to deal with it! No matter how fast you think you are, you can’t outrun it forever.
So, what problem are you running from now? What issues that you are failing to confront are causing you to lose your strength? I encourage you to to make up your mind to stop right now and deal with them. As it says in Ephesians, “Don’t give the devil a foothold in your life” by spending one more day on the run. It really does not matter how badly you’ve messed up in the past, Jesus is quick to forgive when we come to Him with a repentant heart.
Whether it’s a stubborn habit that you can’t break away from or someone you fear confronting— NOW is the time to step up to the plate.
This is important: what you’ll find is that the thing that is chasing you will lose its power when you face it down… in the strong Name of Jesus! St. Paul says, “Having done all… stand.” And… you do that through the power of God, not your own strength. One of my favorite Bible verses that I love to share with teens is Phil. 4:13. It says: “I can do ALL things through Christ Who gives me the strength.” Yes, we can do it but, in Jesus’ power… not our own!
