The Battle Within

Most of us have heard the native American proverb about the old chief who tells his son that we all have two wolves inside us that are constantly doing battle. One is strong, noble and good, the other is wicked and evil. The son asks, "which wolf is the strongest?" and the old chief responds, "the one that you feed."

There is a lot of truth behind that old proverb. Paul recognized this in Romans 7:15-25 when he discusses the struggle between the spiritual and the carnal, between law and grace. In verse 15 he says, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." In Paul's case he was struggling with turning loose of the law of Moses, but the principle is the same for each of us.

Satan attacks us where we are most vulnerable. It may be an addiction to drugs or alcohol, or our professional ethics in the workplace. When we look in the mirror we don't always see what we want to see. I wake up hoping to see the image of Christ, but always seem to fall a little short somewhere along the way.

For years I prayed that God would remove the struggles and conflict from my life. I was tired of being disappointed by others, but more importantly I was tired of disappointing myself. I am just starting to realize that God has tucked away hidden blessings in my struggles. What possible blessings could come from conflict, struggle and disappointment?

1. I am reminded of my dependence on God.
2. I am brought daily to my knees in prayer.
3. I am humbled by God's forgiveness and grace.
4. I am thankful for His sacrifice for my sin.
5. I look forward to a home with no sorrow or tears.

So what is the upside of all these challenges? After revealing to us his struggle Paul tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1, 2).

The God of Second Chances

When Tom Watson was serving as head of IBM one of his top level executives made a mistake that cost the company over a million dollars. Knowing that his job was history the manager walked into Watson's office and said, "I know boss, I messed up and I am ready to quit." Watson responded, "Quit, are you kidding, it cost a million dollars to educate you. It's time to get back to work."

I don't think I ever cost an employer a million dollars, or even walked into an employer's office expecting to be fired, but there have been many occasions when I have been thankful for recieving a second chance.

The other day I was reading Matthew 18 where Peter asks the Lord how many times he should forgive his brother - 7 times? Jesus said, "I tell you not seven times, but seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:22). That can be a difficult command to live sometimes, but it becomes easier when we realize that God wasn't just giving us a command, he was giving us an insight into His own divine nature. Our God is a loving, compassionate and forgiving God.

So, next time you feel you have exhausted God's patience, or fallen so far that you will never find the road back, remember that we serve a God of second (third, and fourth) chances. Like the father in the prodigal son, He stands watching and waiting for our return. When we go to him ready to quit, ready to surrender to the obstacles of life, feeling that all hope is lost, you can imagine him saying, "Are you kidding, you can't quit, my son already paid that debt with his blood. It's time to get back to work."