Running Away

            Did you ever run away or want to run away? The other evening when I read Psalm 55:6-8, I remembered the day I planned to run away.

            Things must not have been going well for me at home. Life was rough for the oldest child, who was probably in elementary school at the time. So running away seemed a good idea. My plan was to leave home and walk about a half mile to the cemetery across from the woods where our family hunted mushrooms each spring. From there I could go on to the playground of a country school another half mile away.  Of course I thought of food. A sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil resided in my dresser drawer before I packed it in my metal lunch box.

For a while my plan was a secret, but then I told my mother, who didn’t seem terribly upset. Maybe she was having a rough time with her oldest daughter! I never did leave. My plan was flawed, not merely from the perspective of accommodations in the cemetery. My plan had no people, no personal character development, and no practicality. But for a few hours it felt good to think of leaving my problems behind.

King David and I have that in common. Do you want to join us? David said: “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be a rest—I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” Yet David didn’t run and hide from problems—maybe retreat from those who wanted to kill him, but he didn’t retreat from life itself.  As I read through the story of David’s life, I find it remarkable that he didn’t run away and hide. Constantly threatened by others, including those in his own family, he stood firm in spite of treachery, betrayal, and even his own sin. He was a man of war, and he subdued the enemies of God’s people, but more important, he was a spiritual man of war.

When I think of David taking a stand and always coming back to God, I am reminded of the Apostle Paul, who wrote centuries later about the battle every Christian wages and how we stand solid in conflict. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-11, NIV)

Although I’d like to run away sometimes, standing the ground God has given me is vital. Retreating isn’t an option for the Christian. We stand our ground and then move forward doing what God has given us to do, capturing the territory that is ours to conquer. How are you standing your ground? What ground is yours? Are you taking it one step at a time? Let me know.  Next post I’ll tell you about some ground that was mine to take.