A winner..... knows when to fight and when to compromise.
A loser ..... fights over the wrong things and compromises at the wrong
time.
Phil:1:27: But whatever happens, make sure that your everyday life is worthy
of the gospel of Christ. So that whether I do come and see you, or merely
hear about you from a distance, I may know that you are standing fast in a
united spirit, battling with a single mind for the faith of the gospel and
not caring two straws for your enemies. (J.B. Phillips translation).
Hebrews 12:14 Let it be your ambition to live at peace with all men and to
achieve holiness "without which no man shall see the Lord" (J.B. Phillips
translation)
Winners know when to fight to win and when to give. In the song, "The
Gambler", the advice was given, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when
to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run." There is a
fight worth fighting, and there are items in life not worth the effort.
Winston Churchill in the darkest hours of Englands battles with Germany had
this sense. When others wanted to lay down and give up he stood ground and
challenged, "Never give up. Never give up. Never give up." The war was
won over courage and tenacity and knowning the fight needed to be fought.
After living in their new home for a year, the Newbies had a major problem.
Sewage came running over into the downstairs bath, living room, and entry
foyer. What a mess! Massive cleanup, roto rooter, and a few days of
showering at the neighbors did not fix it. The city claimed the problem was
theirs, the plumber claimed the city needed to fix it. Two great neighbors
and a day of digging exposed a major city problem. Out they came, and yes,
they fixed it. They dug 14 feet deep, repaired the sewer main, and replaced
fences they had to tear down. But, they didn't take care of the carpet and
house. Forms, forms, and more forms, telephone calls, working with city
attorneys, and a lot of prayer resulted in a surprise. One night the local
city councilman called to alert the Newbies that their reimbursement request
was scheduled to get the hatchet the next day at the city council meeting.
P. Newbie showed up at the council meeting of this large metropolitan
community. Deep in the docket was a line item scratching the claim along
with over 30 other homeowners. What could he do? Fight. Fight for his
wife to get carpet, fight for restoration. Fight he did. First in prayer,
then in rhetoric. "Mayor, my friends and I dug a 7 foot deep hole to show
the city that the problem was theirs, I am willing to dig a 7 foot deep
rhetorical hole to help the council see it needs to pay these costs." The
council halted him right there and offered to pay a reasonable settlement.
No one else was awarded that day. The clerk could not believe it when she
issued the check. You have to know when to fight.
The budget battle was intense. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in
expansion monies were battled over by several departments. Systems
executives along with P. Newbie decided to withdraw and let the money go to
retail remodels. Eight months later accounting in an executive meeting
moved $50,000.00 to systems and challenged them, "See what you can do with
that." After 30 days of scramble and results, they gave them another
$400,000.00 to spend moved from retail remodels. You have to know when to
give and compromise.
Where do you need to fight? Does someone need defending?
Pastor Phil
Where do you need to lay down your arms? Is it better to give now and win a
friend? Pastor Phil
Father, teach me. Show me wisdom to count the costs of every battle and
decide. Help me to see when I need to simply serve by not fighting for my
preferences. Help me see when I need to rise and defend my family, pastor,
employer, friends. Enliven my heart to be a wise warrior with what is
entrusted to me.