Have you ever had a friend, family member, or yourself go
through a trying time? Maybe it was a situation or circumstance that was
difficult, and in turn, strained a relationship or relationships. If you
haven’t, you should feel blessed because for the most part, we all have them at
some point in our lives.
When I look back at times in my life where I have felt the
weight of something that was happening at a particular time, I think, how did I
ever get out of that (or over it)? At these times, I see a battlefield. A line
drawn in the sand where two camps are set up on either side. On one side is
Satan/Evil/The Dark Side with his minions. On the other is me, or whoever I see
is struggling. Satan is constantly sending fiery darts, things like lies,
insults, situations, temptations, etc. at me. While I begin standing tall, I do
get hurt. Over time I start to focus on where it hurts and take my eyes off the
battle. I continue to get attacked and soon am bent over, finally falling to my
knees and then on the ground. Sometimes it’s like I can’t fight any longer.
This is where relationships come in. I see others on my
side. There are family members and friends who are there to fight for and with
me, supporting me, encouraging me, praying for me. And over time (everything
takes time) my wounds heal and I can begin to stand again. Maybe weakly at
first, but I become stronger with their support. There may be times that I get
hit again and fall, but I can get back up. That’s why relationships are so
important in our lives. We cannot fight life’s battles all on our own. We need
people there to be in our corner, to fight on our behalf.
One of the ways in which I feel I have strength to stand,
not that I am always strong, is from my upbringing. Ephesians 6:10-18 discusses
putting on God’s complete armor. This is a song we sang when I was a kid.
Put on God’s complete armor, so that you can successfully
resist…all of the Devil’s methods of attack. You must wear truth as your belt,
righteousness as your breastplate. The gospel of peace, firmly on your feet,
salvation as your helmet. And in your hand the sword of the Spirit which is the
Word of God. Lift up over all, faith as your shield, lift up over all, faith as
your shield, for it shall quench any flaming arrow the enemy fires at you.
Whether you are a Christian or not, many of these pieces of
armor are good to have to fight the battles in your life.
Truth. Who doesn’t want truth in their lives? We want people
to be truthful with us, we want to know the truth, and we want people to believe
us. Often times when we are attacked, we question the truth. We believe lies,
whether they are about us or others in our lives. In turn, it brings us down.
It hurts us. By wearing truth as your belt, you are seeking the truth instead
of believing everything that is hurled at you.
Peace. Don’t we all want peace at home, at work, and within
ourselves? I find it interesting that in the song above, peace is on your feet.
Wherever we walk, we should be bringing peace and finding peace. What is peace?
According to Wikipedia, peace is an absence of hostility. Peace also means
healthy interpersonal relationships. That sounds like something we could all
use.
Faith. It’s interesting that faith is a shield. When singing
this song, I see myself holding up my shield to stop a fiery dart that may be
coming at me. But when I am weak, I cannot hold up that shield any longer. I
may even be crouched on the ground, hiding under it, but I still have faith.
Faith that things will get better. Faith that I can win this battle. We can all use a little faith.
Along with truth, peace, and faith, we also need people on
the battlefield with us. Often times we fight amongst ourselves on this side of
the battlefield. If we view life as a battlefield and focus on supporting one another
to fight off whatever it is that attacks us, we can be stronger. If you look at
the bigger picture, we are not enemies. The enemy is the lies, deception, etc.
that infiltrate our lives. By fighting together and supporting one another, we
can help each other to overcome those difficult situations and circumstances we
all encounter.
