Choosing Our Battles Wisely

The following post was written by Ednella of Think Upon These Things, a rebelutionary blogger with a passion for her Savior.

"Getzlaf nails Chuck Kobasew along the boards with a hard hit. Corey Perry boards Byron Ritchie a second later and all players skate over and start pushing and shoving."

- HockeyFights.com, Fight Log, April 25, 2006 -

A few months ago, I was amused by to be told that, allegedly, the first two English words that French-Canadian hockey players are taught when they arrive in the States to play hockey are: "Wanna fight?" I don't know if this is true or not, but it certainly tells us a lot about the sport -- and the players.

Hockey is one of the most violent sports, with players repeatedly engaging in fights like the one listed above. I'll be honest. My first reaction was, "What's their problem? It's just a game."

The Question
Here is my question for us: What do we fight for? Maybe we don't get into fist fights, but what things do we rank as worth defending? More importantly, which of those things does God think are worth defending? Chances are we have some misplaced priorities.

I'm afraid that I often find myself concerned about really stupid things. You see, I am a "creature of order." I like to have things just so, and for them to stay that way. Of course, that's not very easy when you have younger siblings.

As my family will testify, one of my biggest pet peeves is where people sit. In my mind, not only does everyone have a seat, but everyone should sit in their seat and no one elses. Unfortunately, this doesn't always go over too well with my younger brother, Stefan, self-proclaimed 'King of the Table'.

I find it a constant struggle, even in silly situations like that, to let go of my personal preferences. The truth is, they really don't matter.

What does matter?
In Romans 12:10, Paul tells us to "love one another with brotherly affection." As Christians we are to build each other up, not tear each other down over insignificant things.

In Ephesians 4:29, Paul exhorts us: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

These passages and others like them have convinced me that we need to choose our battles more wisely. As I've thought about what we should be fighting for, three main things stand out: faith, family, and friends.

Fighting for Faith
About a week ago, I read a story on The Rebelution about a Chinese girl who was martyred by the Communists for her faith. Commanded to spit on God's Word, she refused. It was a short story, but it made a big impact on me. Faced with the same decision, what would I do? I pray that I would stand up like that girl did. I want to fight for faith.

Fighting for Family
If you are like me, you have had your share of sibling conflicts. How do we fight for our family, instead of against it? I have found two biblical passages that are very helpful.

The first is Ephesians 4:26, where we are told to not to let the sun go down while we are still angry. The second is Matthew 5:23-24, where Jesus commands us to immediately leave what we are doing and reconcile ourselves with our brother.

In a society where people are trying to redefine marriage and the family, we need to stand up and fight.

Fighting for Friends
One of my favorite examples of fighting for your friend is the Old Testament story of David and Jonathan, where Jonathan remained loyal to David and saved his life. We need more David and Jonathan friendships today. In John 15:13, Jesus tell us: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends."

So in conclusion, let me restate my question: What should we be fighting for? Not the outcome of a hockey game, not where people sit at the table, but our faith, our family, and our friends.

Be sure to visit Ednella's blog, Think Upon These Things, and leave a comment. Thank you, Ednella, for the great post.

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