One of my favorite TV characters is Barney Fife, the comical deputy sheriff from the Andy Griffith Show. In one particular episode Barney finds an old police file about a nineteen-year-old assault case that was never closed. The alleged assault was between Floyd the barber and Charles Foley the grocer over the price of a shave and haircut. The incident was long forgotten until Barney decided to reopen the case. He decides to reenact the crime, and before long tempers flare and the once sleepy town of Mayberry is in complete uproar. (The Case of the Punch in the Nose, air date 3/15/65).
If Barney would have followed the advice of Sheriff Andy Taylor, none of those things would have happened. Sheriff Taylor’s advice was to leave the case alone. But Barney refused and as a result stirred up a real hornet’s nest.
What Sherriff Taylor understood that deputy Fife failed to understand is that some issues aren’t really issues at all. They are simply differences of opinion or personal preference. Furthermore, not every battle is worth fighting. It’s like burning down the barn to kill the mice. We can actually do more harm than good fighting for something that just isn’t worth the fight.
I don’t know about you, but I would rather strive for unity in the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:3). After reading about God’s attitude toward those who sow division and stir up strife in the church, I don’t want to be that guy. I don’t want to pay the inevitable price that accompanies abusing the Bride of Christ.
So learn a lesson from Barney Fife, the hapless deputy who turned the citizens of Mayberry against each other over a non-issue. The unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is a precious thing. Let’s all obey the command of Paul and endeavor to keep it.
Pastor Todd Weston
What Sherriff Taylor understood that deputy Fife failed to understand is that some issues aren’t really issues at all. They are simply differences of opinion or personal preference. Furthermore, not every battle is worth fighting. It’s like burning down the barn to kill the mice. We can actually do more harm than good fighting for something that just isn’t worth the fight.
I don’t know about you, but I would rather strive for unity in the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:3). After reading about God’s attitude toward those who sow division and stir up strife in the church, I don’t want to be that guy. I don’t want to pay the inevitable price that accompanies abusing the Bride of Christ.
So learn a lesson from Barney Fife, the hapless deputy who turned the citizens of Mayberry against each other over a non-issue. The unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is a precious thing. Let’s all obey the command of Paul and endeavor to keep it.
Pastor Todd Weston
