By SYLVESTER MIXON/Guest Columnist

Why do we run from God?

I ask this question to the non-believers as well as the believers. Is running really the answer? Will running really solve anything? I mean, after all Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

So, if there was any question about which way to turn, which way to go, who to put my trust in, who to rely on, who to lean on, where to run to, Jesus is the answer.

We run for our various reasons but I believe that it all really comes down to trust and responsibility.

Will I actually start trusting God in life and will I grow up and take responsibility for my own actions and duties?

In the Bible, the book of Jonah is written about a man (prophet) who fears the responsibility to preach God’s word to his enemies in a city called Nineveh.

Upon hearing God’s call, Jonah is worried and afraid of the task at hand knowing the reputation his enemies.

So, like many of us, Jonah does what most do, he runs from his responsibility.  However, the problem is, whenever God is calling you, running away will never do you any justice. In the words of American boxer Joe Lewis, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”

See, when we run away from our problems, hurts, pains, assignments, duties, callings and responsibilities, it never solves anything.  We simply just end up in the same spot with a lot of wasted time, effort and energy that we could have put into owning up, doing the right thing and serving God in the first place.

Think about this: Whenever you leave an injury, like a cut, open and you do not medicate or treat the injury for fear of pain, the injured area will over time become infected and get worse than before.

The solution to this problem is not to keep avoiding it, hoping it will go away, but rather to treat the injury so healing can begin.

What is the answer? We must trust that God will never call us to do what He cannot lead us through. Trust that God’s plan — His will — will never lead you where His grace cannot keep you.

The Bible reads in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

In James 4:8, the Lord says to come close to Him and He will come close to you. In Jeremiah 33, the Lord says call (pray) to Him and he will answer you.

Don’t run from Jesus. Rather run to Jesus. He’s waiting on you with open arms.

Sylvester Mixon Jr. is pastor at Unity Christian Center in Alabaster. You can reach him at sylvestermixon@aim.com