To Fight or to Flee?
When people once are in the wrong,
Each line they add is much too long;
Who fastest walks, but walks astray,
Is only furthest from his way.
Matthew Prior
Half the failures in life arise from pulling in one's horse as he is leaping.
J. C. and A. W. Hare
Our cat made a mistake. The neighbor's kitchen door was open, and it must have appeared inviting, because Katie Cat went in to explore. When our neighbor, Mike, found her on the kitchen counter, Katie sensed her guilt. In a flash she flew upstairs and found the first available hiding place: under the bed.
Mike's a nice guy. He just planned to reach under the bed, pick up Katie, and take her outside where she belonged. No malice; no problem. Katie wasn't so charitable.
In a dark corner, backed against a wall, Katie, the gentle kitty who purrs on laps, reverted to feral ferociousness. She clamped her teeth onto Mike's thumb and raked his hands with her claws. As Mike pulled free, she took off — climbing the drapes, leaping against the window, and tearing around the room with unbelievable energy. Caught in a mistake, sure her world had narrowed to this harrowing moment, Katie turned into a terror.
To fight or to flee — most of us face the decision at one time or another. Following a mistake, especially a big mistake, the choice almost always demands a decision.
Once you've faced up to a mistake, straightened things out with God, contained the damage, and said what needed to be said, you're stuck with a decision: Do I — can I — stay in this church, or must I leave? Often it's a tough call. Both solutions commend themselves, and with good reason.
If a pastor has any sense of accomplishment in a congregation, leaving following a mistake paints a once-colorful picture black. "The Flight ...
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