Bulldog vs Skunk – Ray Prichard

This week a friend passed along a saying that seems very much on  point. “A bulldog can beat a skunk, but is it worth the fight?” If  we’re laying down bets, I’ll put my money on the bulldog every time.  But he’ll end up smelling like a skunk even if he wins.

What is the point of all this? My mind is drawn to the words of David  in Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;  do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their  wicked schemes.” “Fret” is an old English word that speaks of an  unsettled heart. The fretful believer is tossed and turned by  circumstances he cannot control. God’s solution is simple: 1) Be still  before the Lord. That means what it says. Don’t take matters into your  own hands. 2) Wait patiently for him. Give God time to work. Chuck  Swindoll says that waiting is the hardest discipline of the Christian  life. I agree wholeheartedly. We live in a “can-do” society where the  people who get ahead are those who “make it happen” no matter what it takes.

Here’s a simple application. When you are churning on the inside about  things you can’t control, don’t give in to the temptation to take  matters in your own hands. Get alone with God and do nothing. That’s  right. Just do nothing. Wait on him.

Or you can be like a bulldog and jump into the fray. But even if you  win the battle, you may end up smelling like a skunk.