There was a man on the television recently, on the Dr. Phil show, who cooed words that garnered my attention. (I know, Dr. Phil is the epitome of spiritual shows, right?!)

It was his escape he said. Gambling.

He fled to its safety when marriage got tough.

I was certain this stranger of a man beaming words out into TV land was right there in my living room. Those words were a call to attention. It was as if a drill sergeant had screamed, “Uh-ten-sion!” 

The Holy Spirit was counseling my inner workings with each syllable of the man’s words.

Pay attention to his words. You, too, escape. Everyone has their means. 

There was a golden nugget of understanding in the man’s one, simple sentence. One word in particular contained the pot of gold: escape.

Choosing not to walk through a situation, ignoring the problem at hand, is an escape. The Lord was calling my attention to the fact that I had my own.

Honestly, there had been a load of bickering between the children and weakness saw me bickering back with them from time to time. I had grown weary and uncertain of how to proceed. Moving had been tough and we still weren’t 100% adjusted. So I would escape. Stick my head in the sand of electronic devices. Ignore the situation. Sit in silence. Hope the world, or at least our house, would be a better place when I emerged, wiping off every last morsel of the gritty white stuff.

Oh, I would love to say it’s perfect here. In these walls. In this house. In this heart and mind. 

But it’s not. It’s real and there are battles to face. Spiritual battles.

There are times where I escape to one other than the Son in the heat of the battle. But He’s the One with the tools and power for success.

Unlike the man on television, gambling has never been my escape.  Maybe it’s not yours either. But like a quack doctor that fills our ailment’s prescription, our flesh and emotions, if left unchecked by the Truth, will doctor us in the wrong way. 

But maybe, just maybe, instead of a run away, we should conduct a “run to”…a run to the Son.

 I believe this was His call, right there in the middle of Dr. Phil. 


The Go-To’s When Hearing “Attention!”:

1. Realize I have my means of escape. 
2. Determine to change the “run away” (from the situation) to a “run to” (Jesus and a solution). 
3. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal and heal. Reveal the wrong route (wrong thinking) and heal the heart (joy).
4. Put into action as the Truth guides.

Run to the Son. Yes. Run to the Son.

Look hard and well in His wonderful face. Soak in His strength through the washing of the Word. Dwell in the land of safety, the Solid Rock of a land, as we put into action the words He’s given. 

 

Use that sword to cut away the lies and imperfections in the situation. Rise in victory as we’ve faced, battled, and victored over even one little frustration or situation…all because we’ve run, instead, to the Son.

What’s your area of escape you’re battling today? This week? This month? 

May I encourage you and myself while we’re at it? Let’s not waiver, not give up hope. Oh, I know it’s heavy at times. Frustrating, hurtful, and more. 

But let’s encourage each other to face it and “run to.” Give up the easy, the familiar, the means of escape that is your go-to. Make Jesus and His Truth your go-to instead. It’s right. It’s the place you’ll find joy as you endure.


A prayer for you today, my friend: