Resistance Wins the Battle
Upon arriving home from work I was in a fit of indignation. Some may wish to know why I was so upset, but telling this part of the story only would detract from its point. Suffice it to say that my inward rage needed outward expression.
Anger usually triggers my desire to participate in unhealthy behaviors such as an all-night gaming marathon, indulgence in an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, or any number of other addictive habits. I always have a choice between bad habits or a healthy response, but making that choice often is difficult.
I unloaded clean dishes from the dishwasher, rinsed and loaded dirty dishes, filling the appliance enough to run it anew. Forty-five minutes later my fury still was unassuaged, so I attacked grass and weeds up to my eyeballs with a dirty push mower. When thirty minutes had passed I was covered in grass clippings from head to toe, but my blood pressure was decreased slightly.
Since my agitated state persisted, the crossroads of choice was before me. I could grab the ice cream, click the mouse or do something worse. My mind had considered a plethora of other things during my earlier activities, so I knew trouble was knocking at my back door.
It was time for stronger intervention. After lengthy cultivation, my “call a friend” recovery tool was at the ready. The first friend answered but was out of town, so I politely asked her to contact me when she returned, then moved on to the next number in my phone. The second friend answered. Though it was short notice, she was able to meet for coffee.
An hour or so later she talked me down from the proverbial ledge, reminding me of the guilt and regret that follows any sinful behavior. The cloud of irrational thinking dissipated and reason returned. I was ready to be on my own and address the conflict that sparked the tempest.
Initially overcome with anger, today I recall how God daily saves me. All of us who are born again are in a process of recovery from sin called sanctification. At this moment, I am incredibly grateful that God showed me an alternative and provided a means of grace through my friend. The promise of I Corinthians 10:13 expressed in the Amplified Bible reads:
For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.
Resistance is not futile, it is imperative! As we continue to walk out this truth, resistance becomes easier. On occasion my Mom quotes the saying, “Do not despise small successes.” As we continue to experience small successes through Christ, they build on each other to form a shield against even the most besetting sins. It is summed up best by the King James Version in Galatians 6:9:
Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
