First Baptist Church of Herndon

It's only natural - Escape!

Linda Soller | Aug 11, 2014

Instead of asking if anyone has ever wanted to escape I should probably ask if anyone out there hasn’t wanted to escape at one time or another. It may be that you found yourself in a difficult place because of a poor decision, or irresponsible action, and there you are, wishing you could be somewhere else. Sometimes we find ourselves in tough situations due to the action of others. Sometimes it just happens and we call it bad luck. Any way it happens, it’s only natural to want to escape.

Coming home from our family vacation we reached a point in the interstate where were had a choice of which way to go. One way is a bit longer, but generally not too busy with traffic. Option two is a bit shorter, and a little more congested, so we went with the shorter route, because it had already been a long day on the road. Sure enough we only drove a few miles and then came to a stop. Boy I was wishing I could escape to the other route, but it was too late, and so there we sat. Let’s face it, if that is the worst situation I have to deal with then I can’t complain, but we did complain. We talked about why we didn’t just go the other route, and then discussed that our recent gas and snack stop had been timed well. Unfortunately people find themselves in much more difficult situations and wish they could escape, but they can’t. It is only natural to want a way out of unpleasant, or dangerous situations.

Sometimes I think our society has made it too easy to escape our commitments and responsibilities, so much so that people do not always approach new obligations with the level of seriousness they deserve. We can talk about young people acting irresponsibly, but they don’t have the corner on the market. I have seen plenty of “mature” adults who get themselves in difficult situations then act surprised when they can’t escape.

Faith is seen by some as a way to escape the hardships of life. Some people like to think that because they are Christians they have some sort of a shield around them. I have looked in the Bible to see where it says that I will never know sadness, or pain, or hardship because I am a Christian, and well, my hunt for that promise has been unsuccessful. What I found was a promise that God is always with me, and there is no escaping his eternal love. There are examples in the Bible of those who tried to run from God, to escape his attention, like Jonah. Look where it got him, in the belly of a fish! He thought he could run and hide, escaping God’s ever watchful eye. We could discuss why he wanted to escape from God, but the point is that it’s a natural human reaction to want to escape what we fear. He took to one of the scariest places in his time, the sea, to try and run from God. Lucky for Jonah, God did not give up on him.

I went on vacation to escape. I went to get away from the daily routine that’s my life and just relax. But when I consider it more carefully it wasn’t an escape in the true sense, because at the end of vacation I returned to that same routine. Vacation is more of a diversion than an escape. So as much as I wanted to escape my responsibilities and challenges, they all waited patiently for my return. On my first day back at work I went to the calendar and wrote in my vacation dates for next summer. Once again I will work all year so I can make my escape, it is only natural.

Have a great week!  :o)    Linda