A Pain You Cannot Run From

There is an unbelievable rush that comes from running – it’s an emancipating awareness that not all problems necessitate an immediate solution. That not all inquiries require clarification. "That not all of the befuddle we face up to with intensity and passion need be solved, settled and packed neatly away on a shelf – labeled “Fixed this” or “Figure out that.” We do not possess the patience or perspective that is needed to arrive at our solutions, so we instead take the easy way out. We run away. And it all seems as symptomatic as that. Problems can cause Pain. You become afraid to love anything fully, live anywhere completely, and invest yourself entirely in any new person or venture, for the underlying fear that eventually you are going to leave."

Look at it this way, when you run away from your problems, you feel empowered. You are taking your life back by ignoring all the parts of it that do not particularly please you. Mess something up at your job? Not a problem. Fail at a meaningful relationship? No worries. Your problems don’t exist here in this new physical place that you’ve arrived at. Out of sight, out of mind, and for a while you can get off on the absence. You have new things to focus on. You’re thriving. Our lives often reflect the story of Jonah. Now the book of Jonah is a short book. Only four chapters and “arguably” the most entertaining, action-filled book in the Bible. It is also controversial. Let’s establish the fact, that you are exceptional. Your deliberate execution of life can often resemble a runner or the recipient of those who accept others running to you. Or in a more irrational conception that they (whoever they may be) are, in fact, running after you.  God has called us all, however the cost of running from God can be expensive. Consider Jonah, he paid a financial price for running from God – his ticket to Tarshish (Jonah 1:3). And any Sunday school student can tell you the physical consequences he endured. But when those events were long past, Jonah still grappled with the spiritual cost of his flight. His peace and joy were gone. In their place was bitterness so strong that he begged God for the relief that death would bring.

As believers, we cannot disobey the Lord without paying a price. Certainly our spiritual life weakens. The skills and abilities God has bestowed on us will atrophy from lack of use while we waste time fleeing. And our actions could also have negative consequences in other areas, such as our family, finances, and health. Perhaps you have a habit, a plan, or a current course of action that you know defies God’s will. Have you considered the cost? Though Satan may try to convince you otherwise, there are consequences for wrongdoing. The Lord is holy and righteous, and allowing people to get away with sin is simply incompatible with those attributes. What’s more, the price for following your own will is high. Just look at how miserable Jonah was because of the choices he made. The reward for obeying God is much more pleasing. Would you agree?