Two bull moose entered into combat. Whether it was over territory or a female isn’t all that important. The result is. As their battle for male dominance raged on, their antlers became entangled. The fight eventually led the two moose down into a river. The ice-cold river quickly cooled them off as they remained entangled, entrapped, and unable to work together to get out. Shortly the temperatures plummeted and encased the moose in ice, leaving their mortal combat literally frozen in time (National Geographic).
What a terrible way to meet the end. How tragic it would be to get so caught up in a fight that it ends up destroying us. Sadly, this isn’t a problem reserved for moose. It’s just as much a people problem, if not more so. We can get so intensely focused on an issue with another that we lose sight of the damage it’s causing ourselves and others.
Scripture has plenty to say on the topic. Jesus commanded His followers to take care of personal issues before coming to worship (Matthew 5:23-24). God commands us to take care of angry feelings towards someone else before the end of the day (Ephesians 4:26). Really, the entire book of Philippians is written to help Euodia and Syntyche (4:2) to learn to “live in harmony” with each other and stop tearing the church apart, and each other, from their fight. The message is clear, take care of the issues we have with others quickly and completely so it doesn’t lead to further problems.
To solve such issues, it’s vital to put into practice the incredible advice given in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Why do this? Because this was the attitude Christ had (vs. 5).
As people, we can be so narrow-minded and short-sighted. We get caught up in a personal squabble or overly focused on a continuing issue. We can become so involved in this that we lose sight of the damage we’re causing to ourselves and others all around us. Unless we fix it, our result won’t be all that different from the moose. No, not that we will be encased in ice, but that it could lead to our destruction. Don’t be like the moose.
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