On Melding Gentleness and Strength
Show me the warrior. This I’ve continued to pray for over a fortnight. I cannot get the story of Code Adam out of my head, nor the image of a gunman entering our store, despite his being a hired actor for the emergency safety video.
My whole life I excused myself from preparing for any sort of encounter with the enemies of innocence because of my gentle nature. All the while, fear continued to grow in my mind, fed by doubt from a partial loss of identity. While resilience in the face of hardship, for example, is an incredible form of mental strength, what I am referring to expresses itself in physical action, such as level-headedness, authority, and cunning in the midst of crisis.
Now I realize that as a follower of Jesus, I am not only responsible for personifying his gentleness and care, love essentially, for His creation, I also carry the responsibility of embodying his strength and fierce determination to protect innocence. I cannot be content to bury my head in my own little world anymore, living unprepared for trouble.
Show me the warrior. What does it look like for a woman of God with my personality to take the offense and rise up to defend or protect? Quietly and with respect, keeping in mind the dignity of others. After all, my desire is not to make enemies out of people with lofty or scathing words. A follower of Jesus must still be known by her love, after all. The only people who are exempt from this would be those who make themselves enemies of innocence. Misled or different is not the same as cruel and wicked.
Show me the warrior. The books of Joshua and Judges especially hold many excellent portrayals of such noble people in names like Joshua, Caleb, and Deborah, among others. These leaders had hearts and minds dedicated to God and shepherded the people as examples of gentle godliness and fierce determination to protect and avenge what is good and right without being overbearing.
In the midst of my reading, I found myself craving to re-watch The Lord of the Rings. See, in order to obtain an accurate understanding of the warrior within myself, I must first understand the warrior in God. Aragorn is the closest representation of this that I know of. His age, experience, and wisdom far exceed his appearance, and yet he does not boast or demand his opinions be obeyed as law.
He does not waste breath complaining nor does he descend into fits of temper when events don’t go his way. His sense of humor and gentleness toward his friends, women, and children are matched by his intensity on the battlefield as he slays one orc after another.
However, my favorite scene I think has to be Aragorn against the Ringwraiths on Weathertop. A terrifying scene to be sure, but only until Aragorn shows up brandishing a sword and torch. He’s sweaty and dirty, right alongside his hobbit companions, and chases the wraiths off the overlook with fire and steel. His facial expressions, the intensity, and the way he carries himself as he accomplishes this give me goosebumps. Not in arrogance, mind you, but authority.
That’s Me I hear Him whisper to my heart, and a new fire kindles.
Make me like You I beg in awe. Show me the warrior.
I want to do more than draw people to God. I want to be useful in defending them should the need arise. Do I expect God to turn me into Aragorn? Uhm, no. For many reasons. And despite how cool it would be to start a new trend and carry around such a magnificent weapon like a knight of old, this...was not the point He was trying to make. There are other ways to dispel what is wicked and cruel; other swords at my disposal to protect and defend.
I don’t have a clear picture of what this looks like, but I’ve started looking for opportunities for Him to show me. However, it is imperative to keep in mind that to be a warrior of God does not mean I must lose my gentleness, quite the opposite in fact. Funnily enough, sometimes gentleness in and of itself is a weapon that disarms even the crotchetiest curmudgeon.
No doubt I will make mistakes along the way, but so long as my goal is rooted in peace (and not ego), I shouldn’t stray too far off the mark. Friends, I am so excited to see where this journey will take me!
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