My fourteen year old son participates with Sea Cadets, an ROTC offshoot of the Navy.  Once a month, he spends all day Saturday and Sunday at the Naval Reserve base here in Charlotte training with the naval reserves.  The first time he went, I had to walk him inside, meet his commander, and sign the necessary papers.  For about an hour, I was surrounded by men and women who made a decision to serve our country and who could be called at anytime to go fight our enemies. 

For just a brief moment, as I was walking through their world, I wondered what they thought of all the politicians in Washington bickering over the war in Iraq.  For just a brief moment as I glimpsed life through their eyes, I wondered if they wouldn't say, "Please stop!  Quit fighting each other for power and help us fight our enemy."

This might sting a little, and I'm saying it just as much to myself as anyone, but can't we say the same thing about those of us in the church?  Maybe it's just me, but I've grown tired and frustrated with people who are always nitpicking about this they don't like or that they don't like or how it should be done this way or that way. 

I think that Satan loves this.  While we argue over style, the single mom is crying herself to sleep wondering how she's going to keep food on the table.  Marriages are crumbling apart.  And our kids are leaving in droves.  We turn our backs to the real battle so that we can argue with each other.  And the roaring lion who loves to devour walks through the front door into our church.  He whispers the lie of greener grass and a better future to the struggling husband and father.  And he leaves his family for her.  Another teenage boy watches as his father drives away. 

Here's what I'm asking myself.  What does God want from me?  What can I change?  Where can I help?  Who can I help?  Is my life a testimony to the grace that was given to me?  Am I reaching out?  Am I loving and forgiving others?  Am I helping the single mom?  Or the orphans?  Or the family up the street?  Or the fatherless teenager I know?  Or am I arguing about the song that was played in worship or the translation that the pastor used when he preached or the number of elders the church has.

I'm just asking.  Who are we supposed to be fighting?  Each other or our enemy?