"If men come unto me..."

I've had a hard time for a while with the idea of avoiding a difficult situation as a means of solving it. Did you follow that? So, basically... among other things... saying, "I'm not going (or can't go) to a bar because any time I am around alcohol, I drink."

Don't get me wrong... I am very much of the opinion that you do whatever it takes to stop such a habit... but what I am saying is that I have never really felt it to be the most plausible solution. I have long felt that saying a statement like the alcoholic above is avoiding accountability. Do I think he should seek out the corner tavern as part of a daily routine to test his resolve? No. In fact, I respect a great deal the people who can discipline themselves enough to just completely abstain from something when they realize it's such a great temptation. But how can one truly consider themselves healed or recovered or rehabilitated if they are just never in the situations where they are weakest? Perhaps the alcohol example is a poor one for this discussion because avoidance, in this matter, may be the best... but say maybe you may have injured yourself with a hammer, does that mean you should then avoid hammers to avoid future injury? Certainly not! If you can use it effectively, you can effectively misuse it. The best course of action would then be to realize how you misused it, and use more caution or develop more skill when dealing with it in the future. So back to the alcoholic example for a second, the man who avoids the bar is not solving his problem... ideally, a man beset by his greatest temptation would still resist... because eventually he is going to walk by a bar, or attend a party, or have a weak moment and unless he has cultivated a stronger resolve, or a more articulate understanding, he is right back where he began.

So here's the thing... I'm thankfully not an alcoholic but I think there are countless, loosely comparable, circumstances where I've been told to run away from problems; only in more flowery or candy coated terms. But I say, we must face with courage the difficulties in life. It may seem reasonable or ideal to just leave things alone, but the greater benefit will come when we address with boldness the challenges we face and take full advantage of, and responsibility for, the agency we have. None of us are ever forced to sin... and even under the most miserable and unfailing coercion, we are only responsible for the things we knowingly choose to do or not to do.

I will make one concession, however. Time is sometimes an essential asset that must be considered in various circumstances... not all things will immediately be solved by immediately addressing them. It's been appropriately said that "time heals all wounds." But like with a wound to the body, there are generally important treatments and considerations given before covering it with bandages and "giving it time."

Moroni said that God himself shows us our weaknesses. Should we then be afraid of them? No, we should want to discover them... not to indulge in them or become discouraged, but in order to address them. To withstand them. NOT to run away from them.