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Choose Your Battles Wisely

I have to be honest, there have been many mornings since I became an administrator that I felt like I was headed right into a battle as soon as I stepped in the front door of the school.  Having read an angry parent email, I knew I had to respond to it immediately and I had to get my mind in the right place when it felt like I was under attack.  Other days I felt the tension as I was preparing to meet with a teacher and have a hard conversation I knew would be met with resistance.  Many mornings, I steeled myself for the students whose behaviors were out of control, emptying classrooms, running away or hurting others but didn't seem respond to any of the interventions I had already tried.  

It makes me think of an old Twila Paris song called "The Warrior is a Child," where she describes the strong fighter as someone who goes home at the end of the battle and rests at the feet of Jesus, weary of the battle.  

I think it's interesting that Brene Brown talks about going into the arena and NOT armoring up, but instead being authentic and open to vulnerability.  As a society, we've become so antagonistic towards each other that we see everything as a battle and if you don't agree with me, I might come out fighting.  Often, the truth is that we must seek first to understand and then to be understood.  The greatest weapons in these types of battles can be listening, patience, kindness and an ability to not take things personally.  

In all actuality, we are fighting real battles daily and we do need to be armored up; we've just misidentified our enemy.  Parents, staff or misbehaving children are not our enemies.  Raging drivers, grumpy service workers, slimy politicians, or dishonest businesses are not the real enemy.  

We have an Enemy and he is real.  Ephesians 6:10-18 explains the real battle and how to fight it.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

You see, the battle is spiritual, which changes our entire approach, doesn't it?  I'm no longer fighting against a person who I think is wrong or who is opposing me, I'm fighting against evil forces.  How in the world do we have the power to do that?  

We have to be armored up spiritually, which is whole lot different from building up walls around ourselves and refusing to be open, authentic and vulnerable with the people in our lives.  This is about your spiritual well-being and about protecting your heart from Satan's insidious plans.  

    Start with the helmet of salvation:  Are you protecting your thoughts and your mindset from entitlement, resentment, anxiety, fear, hopelessness, lack of vision, irritation, and the like?  The apostle Paul mentions in Colossians 3:2 that we ought to set our minds on things above and not on the things of this earth.  Is your mindset eternal or have you gotten sucked into the tyranny of the urgent?  The helmet is our hope - our hope that the things of this world will fade away while our future is in eternity forever.  Romans 12:2 says that we must be transformed by the renewing our minds.  Our thoughts can run away from us if we do not continually refocus on His purposes and His truth.  Protect your mind with the helmet of salvation.

    Put on the breastplate of righteousness:  Proverbs 4:23 admonishes us to guard our hearts for it is the wellspring of life.  Is your heart in the right place?  I recently shared the image of a train with the emotions in the caboose as a reminder that we cannot let our emotions drive us.  But your heart is where Christ dwells so if He is present, He makes your heart of stone into a new heart (Ezekiel 36).  He clothes us in robes of white through His sacrifice.  May your prayer today be that God would guard your heart with His righteousness and fill it with His presence.

    Wear the belt of truth:  Truth seems to be less obvious these days doesn't it?  However, even though we might wonder about conspiracy theories or doubt the source of our news coverage, we know the Truth.  Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).  So, our lives should be held together by that truth, by His truth.  John 8:32 says that the truth will set us free, free from the power of sin in our lives.  Let truth lead you and you will live in that freedom.

    Pick up the shield of faith:  Satan's flaming arrows may be flying at us like accusations (remember He is the accuser) and that's the moment when we have to stand firm in our faith.  When you are feeling inadequate or like a failure, it's crucial to recognize that it is by faith you've been saved, not by your own merit (Ephesians 2;8-9).  

    Use our only weapon which is the sword of the Spirit (the word of God):  The Word of God is described as a sword that divides soul and spirit and judges the thoughts of our hearts.  The Bible is our weapon when we are under attack because it speaks of who we are in Christ and who He is, which is unchanging.  

If you are facing some battles today, I encourage you to pray through the armor of God, cover yourself in His armor and stand strong in faith.

Heather

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