I actually planned on writing this up a few weeks ago, but other topics tend to get in the way. So to all you reading this, here's a story about two people who are trying to figure out how to deal with "the enemy." Learn something from this, because I learned from it personally.
There was one particular Captain in the middle of a war. He and his men believed with all their hearts that they were fighting for a great cause. Morale was dwindling and the situation seemed dire. The captain had only been in a few battles, but none were as bad as this. He decided to call the General to seek assistance. The Captain, now aware, realized that the enemy were only a few hundred miles away. He believed that without help, the battle would be lost! The Captain asked for instruction, leadership, assistance. He needed direction! Surely the General, a higher ranking official would know what to do!
Now the General was a passionate man. He cared for the Captain and his men. So in zeal, he said to the Captain, "Don't worry, I'll handle it!" The General quickly drove to the Captains location and reassured him saying, "I'll take care of these enemies. You have nothing to fear! Give me all your men and I'll take care of this."
The Captain knew the landscape much better than the General. The Captain also knew the conditions of battle better than this General would ever know. The number of supplies, the number and condition of the enemy were also only the Captains'. However, the zeal of the General was too great, so the Captain, dismayed by the battle, let the higher ranking General take control. You can only imagine how that battle turned out...
We all make foolish decisions. Sometimes we're the General. We think we know the situation well enough and then foolishly jump into action. Rather than scan the predicament, we just run and shoot. It's almost as though we're arrogant enough to believe that we always know what we're doing, even if we only know the half of it. Personally, people who act like this hit my pet peeve. But unfortunately, there are times where I'm like this.
Sometimes we're Captains who are scared. We might feel a little pushed by the "enemy." We're willing to get help anywhere it comes. Captains (as far as this example shows) are willing to find a good solution, but lack the backbone to say "No, this is my battle, let me do it. I just need your advise, that's all."
If your in a tight spot and you need help, don't be a fool and allow someone to fix your problem if they couldn't possibly understand the situation (even if they think they do!). Don't just give your problems to people, but go through them yourself. If you need help and advice, then that's fine. Listen to people you look up too, but don't let them do the dirty work for you! You will miss out on the experience you will need when the next battle comes your way.
If your being a "General", then I would advise you to at least think before you make a fool of yourself. Stepping out into a problem and making an attempt to "fix" it would likely result in false success. The last kind of General you want to be is the one who thinks they did an awesome job when in fact, they did more damage than anything. Surly that would be embarrassing.
You'd be more informed if you just went to the problem yourself to figure out why the "enemy" is even fighting in the first place. Who knows, maybe you and the Captain are totally misunderstanding the whole thing!
You'll miss out a lot if you just let people deal with your garbage. One day when you don't have your "general" around, you'll probably get stuck not knowing how to best handle the situation. You might end up trying to fix your problem, but because of the lack of experience, you won't do a good job at it. Learn now while you can.
This happens all the time. In marriages, school, at work, in church, between friends and family, social clubs and groups. Basically, you'll encounter this problem in every social sphere you'll ever be engaged in. If your a Christian and you have a problem with some other Christian who's wronged you, follow Matthew 18:15. If your not a Christian, then I'd also advise you to do the same thing. Don't let resentfulness and bitterness sit in your heart. It's a self torturing experience.
Grow a backbone, pray, then proceed with the advice of elders, friends, parents, and scripture. Don't be a chicken and let some one fight your battles for you.
(additional info: Obviously don't follow this advise if your a little kid. For example, if your under 18 and some creeper dude tries to do weird nasty things to you, then don't go to him to "talk it out", lol. Call the cops and let them handle it. This blog is aimed at adults, obviously)
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