In the movie Flushed Away there’s a scene where the commanding frog orders his troops, “To action!!” and in response his little frog followers throw their hands up in the air and reply in unison, “We surrender!!”. In complete disgust, the commander responds, “Not that one you, idiots! The kung fu thing!” It makes me giggle every time. Not to spiritualize frogs but I’ve found myself in this very same predicament lately. A battle looms in front of me and I find myself throwing my hands in the air and yelling, “I surrender!” The kung fu thing can get exhausting.
I’ve started noticing how often throughout Scripture the words of action are used. And not just passive action but metaphors of war. It speaks of putting on the armor of God, of fighting the good fight, our weapons, our enemies and attackers wanting to destroy us, and of standing strong. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Y’all that’s a lot of work and a lot of opposition. “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.” 1 Corinthians 9:26. My husband and I got called to the principal’s office when our son was in 1st grade. This was a new experience for us so we were a little concerned about what might have caused such extreme measures. Justin’s teacher was there along with the principal, she very seriously stated that Justin was put in timeout during recess because he was air boxing. Needless to say, my husband and I were confused. After a moment of stunned silence, my husband asked, “Did he hit someone?” She was quick to reply that he didn’t, but he could have by mistake. “So, you called us in here and put him in timeout for something that didn’t happen but could have?” Her response still shocks me, “Air boxing can be dangerous. He needs to play on the swing set instead.” We left after we agreed to disagree. Thankfully, that was the end of Justin’s dangerous career of air boxing. We still laugh about it, but mentally we all tend to airbox. The New Living Translation uses the word “shadowboxing”, isn’t that what worry is? We fight the shadows of the what-ifs, the how-comes, and the why-me. And all the while we are exerting our energy on the shadows versus the real battle that’s raging. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 So I guess in a way Justin’s teacher was right, air boxing can be dangerous, it distracts us from the real issues and drains us of energy.
It’s not just our battles that we fight either. As the Body of Christ, we are called into the ring with our family and friends. As our kids have grown my job has gone from fighting their battle for them to being their ring side coach. Cheering them on, encouraging them, praying over them, and then helping bandage up their wounds so they can go back and fight some more. There have been so many times that I wished I could go and fight their battles for them. At the end of the rounds, I look on as they stand in the middle of the ring, bloodied and broken, the Judge holding each opponent’s arms waiting to declare the victor. Without fail, He raises my child’s arm and declares that they have won. Every. Single. Time. The look of victory, the strength and confidence that is gained from that fight, is something I would never take away from them. They don’t win because I’m in their corner, but because the Judge has come to their rescue, time and time again, and has taken the death blows for them. He’s not just in their corner, He’s in the ring with them, step for step, blow for blow. That my friends, is why we can step into the ring with confidence and continue to “fight the good fight and finish the race” because we have a Savior “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame”. So I will surrender, but not the fight. I will surrender my what-ifs, how-comes, and why-me. I will surrender the desire to fight my child’s battle. I will surrender the need to know all the details. I will step into the ring as either the opponent or one of the teammates in the corner and I will not surrender the fight.
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16