A Word on Conquering

Conquer is a word I hear fairly often. Historians use it in context with Rome and her incredible efficient armies, or when people tell me I need to learn how to swim I have to conquer my (slightly irrational) fear of deep water. The list goes on.

Probably the most clichéd use of the word comes in Christianity. Being in a Christ-centered fraternity and having grown up in church my whole life, I've heard people talking about conquering sin and such too many times to count. They're right though.

Dictionary.com defines "conquer" five different ways. In my life, the first one doesn't make any sense. The things that I'm trying to conquer, whether they be personal vices or the next CrossFit skill or a new piece, are winnable. I want to gain mastery over that particular thing so that it can't cause me to stumble in any way. I've failed pretty miserably in some areas. . . it's so easy to give in to what feels most comfortable, or to go back to what you know, or not push yourself to be better at what you're doing.

Nehemiah 8:10 says: "Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Now, I'm not one to beat people over the head with scripture. Admittedly, I'm pretty bad about knowing verses and stuff. But these were always pretty prominent in my childhood, though I ignored them. The one thing a control freak cannot do is relinquish control. Though I'm not one of those, I like to know that I'm not in a downward spiral because of my own efforts. One of the things I struggle with daily is letting go of everything and letting God do what he does best. Logically, I should also give over those conquerable things. So that's what I'll do. This isn't a New Years resolution because I invariably fail within a few days. It's a bit more serious than that, because it affects my everyday life. Or maybe it's effects....I could never figure that one out.

So what I mean to put out there is this: whatever it is that you're struggling with, are you willing to do whatever it takes to conquer it? Are you willing to be uncomfortable, to venture out in a new heading? Once that's figured out, things should get a lot easier.