Strategically (Dis)Engaged
In the world of foreign policy, there is a wide spectrum of strategic approaches used with the aim of achieving national security.
On one end are strategies like “strategic restraint” or “strategic neutrality.” These strategies are marked with characteristics of non-engagement and passivity, and are embraced by the likes of Switzerland.
On the other end are “strategic deterrence” and “peace through strength.” These approaches are centered on robust military strength, and are deployed by the U.S., China, and numerous other world powers. “Peace through strength” originated with British pre-World War II foreign policy and became common vernacular when U.S. President Ronald Reagan embraced it.
The debates between these two approaches—and everything in-between—are fierce, and they frequently surface in the midst of war itself. For example, the Swiss are often called upon to be a neutral arbiter between warring parties, even though their strategic neutrality is mostly aimed to keep themselves out of conflict. Meanwhile, the U.S. and China are pursued as coveted potential allies by virtually every entity that goes to war. A decision by either superpower to deploy their strategic strength simultaneously threatens to diminish it.
Both strategies require significant discipline and strength to deploy in a principled and consistent manner. It is not our mission today to test the strengths and weaknesses of each. There are, however, a number of extremely valuable parallels for our own life.
On the “strong” side of the coin, a Jesus follower should:
1) Be marked with strength and courage – Joshua 1:9 says it plainly: “Be strong and courageous.” You serve a God who is stronger than all the brokenness around you, and it should show!
2) Use your strength to defend the weak – Your strength and courage is needed, but it is not primarily for you; it is for those who don’t have it. “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed” (Ps. 82:3).
3) Don’t use your strength in a way that hinders another – This is the flip side of the same coin (and therefore belongs in the list below, as well). It is not enough to defend; strength must also be carefully stewarded as to not destroy. “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Cor. 8:9).
On the “restraint” side, a Jesus follower is encouraged to:
1) Decline to engage unproductive conflicts – Paul makes me chuckle in 2 Timothy 2:23 with his direct candor: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” Engaging where it isn’t productive is worse than unproductive; it’s destructive.
2) Be ok with going unvindicated on Earth – There is tremendous power in humility and being content without vindication. Jesus famously attested to this in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matt 5:11-12). It’s a fact: you will be vilified, and sometimes specifically because of Jesus. That is not always cause for a response. In fact, many times your vindication waits until heaven.
So, which is it? Strength and engagement or restraint and disengagement? Yes! As with so many things in God’s Kingdom, it’s a tension of both. I personally find the greatest challenge in being content unvindicated. My nature wants to not only be correct but be shown to be correct! For me, contentment in disengagement often takes the greater strength.
This week, ask yourself, am I deploying both strategic engagement and strategic disengagement? Am I willing to use my strength to defend the weak? Am I content with being unvindicated here on Earth? Am I truly aiming for a heavenly reward?