When is stubbornness a good thing?

Stubbornness can be a positive quality for a single person--but only when used the right way.

Most words have more than one definition. Over time, however, common usage narrows them to one. We usually think of stubborn people as obstinate, closed-minded, and bullheaded. Rarely do we consider one of the other definitions: determined.

If you want to talk about determined, Jesus fit that category. No matter how many times he was attacked and criticized by the Pharisees, Saduccess and scribes, he stayed on course.

Jesus never compromised with them. He never backed off from his position. He was steadfast when it came to preaching the truth.

John the Baptist was determined, too, and it led to his early death. He also preached the truth. When the truth is on a collision course with lies, there's going to be a crash. If you're a single person, adamant about the gospel and refusing to compromise on it, you're headed for a crash, too.

I've "crashed" a few times in my life. In those times when I was obstinate about the wrong things, I "crashed" and had to slowly, painfully recover on my own. But in those times when I "crashed" for the right things, God pulled me out of the "wreckage," healed me, and put me back on the road.

If you're going to be stubborn, you have to do it for the right things. The Bible tells us what those right things are:

• Eternal life through Jesus Christ;
• Faith in God despite outward circumstances;
• Forgiveness;
• Honesty;
• Compassion;
• Respect for God and his laws;
• the Great Commission of spreading the gospel.

Great crowds followed Jesus wherever he went. People were attracted to him. They wanted to be with him. Jesus wasn't concerned about the petty rules of the Pharisees, like picking grain or healing on the sabbath. He was unyielding about the right things--loving people and treating them with kindness.

On unimportant, inconsequential matters, you can afford to compromise. Bullheadedness just for the sake of egotism is wrong. It makes you an obnoxious, repulsive person that nobody wants to be around.

Check your own attitude today. Are you determined about the right things or wrong things? Let the Bible be your guide.

Determination--stubbornness for the things of God--is the hallmark of a Christian on the right path.