I’ve heard that the reason why most people drown is because they panic in the water and lose control of their rationale. Then there’s the idea of “roll with the tide” which seems to infer that one should just let go and see where the wind and waves takes you instead of fighting against it.   I admit, there has always been a part of me that had a not so great feeling about this type of advice. 

When in our most troubling and life-threatening of times, our natural instinct is to put up a fight. But I’m learning that there is more than one way to fight. The one we tend to the most is to defend ourselves. This takes a lot of energy emotionally and physically.  The other way, can be likened to how Jesus fought in the moments leading up to his death.  Before Pontius Pilate, he didn’t defend himself when he had every right and reason to; even of being falsely accused.  Think of the many times Jesus experienced confrontation leading up to his death and he went against a natural instinctive response to retaliate or defend himself. In some cases, he chose to be quiet. In others he agreed to disagree.   He even went so far as to turn around and help those who were out to harm him.

Each of us face troubling situations that seem to threaten our livelihood, our future, maybe even our pride.  How many times have we taken a step back to consider how to fight it?  Most of us probably react the same way all the time because it’s what we’re used to.  But the kind of victory that Jesus experienced came from fighting a different kind of way.  All that he did (or didn’t do) in those situations, show me a powerful strategy against life’s harshness and the enemies blows.  Through all of that, Jesus didn’t give his enemies the authority to take his life. He humbled himself to death, and willingly laid his life down.  To me, this was his way of “rolling with the tide.”  Those winds and those waves led him to a place of total victory, power, and reign until he could ask the question, “Oh death, where is thy sting?”

This example encourages me to stop fighting the same way all the time. Stop giving my enemies authority over me. In the end, the enemy couldn’t get the glory for taking Jesus’ life. It was never there’s to take.  He, himself, laid it down.  We must learn to fight this way also.

L8r,

~faithful