Scrappy-Doo and the Burning Coals

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
²²for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.

- Proverbs 25:21-22

"Lemme at 'em! I'll splat 'em!"

- Scrappy Doo

If you know me well at all, you know that I love a good fight. Whether it's trying to take out a friend in friendly hand-to-hand combat or defending a cause, I've always been invigorated by the thought of going to war. Many times, it's an admirable and fun trait. At other times, it's a hindrance and a real problem.

Like Scrappy Doo from the old Scooby Doo cartoons, I don't often think before I jump headlong into battle. Something needs to be defended, an enemy captured, honor restored, so I jump right in without giving thought to what I'm actually going to do when I raise my fists. Though I believe I prefer being this way to being a coward, my propensity for going to war without reviewing the consequences has cost me friendships and working relationships.

One of the beautiful things about being an intern is that I can vent my frustration to my boss and allow him to tell me what I should do instead. Ministry is full of adversity. It never goes away and never takes a break. On any given day there are several battles I could choose to go fight. Instead, I'm having to learn that not every war is worth fighting, and, as the Bible teaches in Proverbs, it's often best to provide sustenance for your enemy rather than being the bearer of pain (I sound real tough, don't I?).

In Church, you don't have the option of making enemies. Any enemy you have should only be the result of the fact that someone has made you his enemy. In fact, Jesus dying for and reconciling himself to his enemies sets the example for us to do the same. "Heaping burning coals" on someone's head is a way to shame someone into reconciliation. It is, in a way, going to war, but it's going to war for your enemy's soul rather than against it.

Of course, there comes a point in time when someone's wickedness poses a danger to those around him, and at that point the battle is necessary. Words and fists can fly and things can get ugly, with the righteous man not being wrong for going to war. But it's not always or often necessary, and it's certainly never necessary if your intent is to destroy your enemy's soul past the point of restoration.

It should be said in closing that the only reason I'm writing this is because my sinful nature desires to go to war right now. In my heart I know that the only thing at stake in the battle is my own pride, and that's not enough. Pray for me as I continue to learn to be a pastor and not just a got with a lot of passion.