The Compromise

There is a word that gets thrown around in our society so much that people have begun to view it as the best option, in any conflict of opinions. Whenever there are two parties who cannot agree on the best way to handle a situation, this one word has become the "be all, end all" solution: Compromise. Now, there are situations where it would be desirable to compromise, and actually might be the Godliest approach to the situation. However, I believe that this word has begun to take an ultimate positive connotation, meaning, that when people hear the word "compromise" they don't think of someone giving something up, they think of both people gaining things. Compromise (in the form, we're looking at) is ultimately an agreement that two parties meet, for each (or maybe just one) to give up part (or all) of their demands, so, that both parties benefit. As I stated earlier, there are situations where the right approach is to compromise, but those situations only arise when the values at stake are debatable. For example: If my wife and I find that we can spend equal amounts of money going out to eat as we could staying home and cooking, and one of us wants to go out 6 nights a week and the other would like to stay in 6 nights out of the week, it would be best to compromise in that situation. Because, the values at stake (whether we prefer a home-cooked meal or professionally prepared food) are debatable, neither one of us can prove, based solely on taste and preference, that one is better than the other, and both of us can benefit from the compromise made.

Unfortunately, the attitude that we have in dealing with the right-kind of compromises, leads us to compromise in a relationship which has no room for it, our relationship with God. You have to understand that compromise has further consequences, which is to weaken or to lessen or to dilute your original values. The problem is that the values of God are not debatable. When it comes to our relationship with God, we are aware that there are certain areas of God's will, in which there are shortcuts to getting where He wants us to be. Due to our impatience or the difficulty of the task that God has given us, we are often tempted to compromise His values in order to accomplish His will. For instance, we know that God wants us to honor our parents, and they explain that they expect good grades out of you. So, in order to get good grades, you choose to cheat on the final in your history class, does it make it acceptable for you to cheat, because your parents will be happy that you made an A? Of course not, because their value was for you to learn the material and to do your best. God has asked us to reach those unconnected to Him, and teach them about His Son; however, do you think that it's right for you to gossip along with your friends, so that they will think that you're cool, that way you'll have a better chance at reaching them? We all know that the answer is, no, because God told us that such things were sins. Therefore, just because something good comes out of a situation, does not make the things you did to get that outcome, righteous.

You can never get the benefits of God by abandoning the principles or values of God. God intends for us to have an intimate and righteous sexual relationship with our future spouse, but He does not intend for us to force intimacy through pre-marital sex. God promises that we can experience true and fulfilling community, but He expects us to uphold His values, instead of compromising because it's easier. God promises us many things, but He expects us to trust Him to provide them, in His timing. Don't let your impatience shortcut Gods values, so that you can gain benefits that are temporary and hollow. Because there is one more meaning of compromise that I want to bring to your attention: to expose to danger. When we compromise, we open holes in our relationship with God, which expose us to danger. Not just physical danger, but we are in danger of losing our faith in God. Even the wisest man ever, Solomon, could not escape the effects of compromise (refer to the contest). So, as we close out this series of Hostage, let's choose not to compromise our relationship with God, His values, or the following statement: Temptation you will not steal my future, you will not steal my family, and you will not steal my faith.

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Pray
That God can help you become the kind of person, who refuses to compromise His values to gain false benefits.