I was talking to a friend of mine who is a "Runner". At least that is how they have defined themselves. Whenever the problems get too big, the situation becomes fearful, or the topic is hitting too close to home - they run. Rather than deal with the problem at hand - they jet. What we fail to realize is that the Lord is right there waiting to go through the situation with us. Instead...we go in the opposite direction.
This conversation with my friend reminded me of the movie "Runaway Bride." This movie is about a lady who has left a lot of men standing at the altar. She gets to the point of walking down the aisle and she takes off. Even when she finds the guy that she feels like is the "one" - she leaves him as well. It isn't until the end of the movie that she finally understands why she runs. Pay attention to this line: "When I was walking down the aisle, I was walking toward somebody who didn't have any idea who I really was. And it was only half the other person's fault, because I had done everything to convince him that I was exactly what he wanted. So it was good that I didn't go through with it because it would have been a lie. But you - you knew the real me...I didn't. And you being the one at the end of the aisle didn't just fix that."
Too often, when we are running away from the problem, we are leaving the Lord standing at the altar of our problem. Rather than marrying ourselves to Him in the situation - and He is more than willing to walk through it with us - we leave. What we miss out on is the opportunity to experience Him through the difficulty. We miss out on the chance to learn more about Him and ourselves through the problem. We may be running out of fear but the reality is that we are running away from love.
Do you realize that the Lord always encounters the real you? Not the pretend you. Not the masked you. Not the disillusioned you. He always encounters who you really are in Christ. In this way His relationship with you is always unconditional. His relationship with you is always based upon the finished work of Christ and not your behavior. Even if He has to deal with your behavior in the midst of difficulty, He has this amazing way of redeeming it and you in the process.
Never dealing with a problem means that it never goes away. Until we are ready to resolve it and overcome it, IT will always come back up. I've seen this happen in so many relationships. Once the fighting is over and everyone has "dealt" with it according to their style of conflict they think the problem is over. It's not. It may quiet down for a little while but it's not going anywhere. On the other hand, when we are willing to walk through these things with the Lord we are telling the problem that it no longer has a home with us.
Stop leaving the Lord at the altar of your problems. Embrace Him there. Tie your heart to His in this place. Allow Him to give you strength, teach you through the process, and help you overcome. This can be true of you regardless of what you are going through. Maybe you are dealing with a personal issue. Maybe you are dealing with a problem in a relationship. Maybe there is some conflict that you need to endure. It doesn't matter because the Lord has promised you that He will never leave or forsake you. He knows the real you. While you may not think that fixes anything it will help you come into a better understanding of who you are in the midst of this. And in the end...when you know who you are and whose you are...you can do anything.
Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Don't you think it's time to rest? Don't you think it's time to give Him all the stuff? Yes...you will still have to walk through it but you don't have to do it alone. He can give you rest in any situation. He can give you peace in the midst of conflict. He can give you joy in the midst of sorrow. There is nothing that you need that will not be taken care of in that moment. Go to Him. Don't run away. If you do...you are only running away from the one true love that can set you free.
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