A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does
~Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior
When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
~ from 2 Samuel 12
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
~ 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
Oh beloved, it is true. Sometimes the way we rest in Him is quite active. There is around us a battle in which He wields us. We are the weapons of righteousness which He uses to bring about His good purposes in the fallen cosmos.
But some of the fights… Oh G_d. Is there any other way through?
No.
Love is the profound concern for the well-being of another, without regard to whether the person(s) we are loving love us back. And Love is both the ammunition and strength of our fight. And these facts make Love something very much other than we hope it be. Sometimes – though our hope is completely otherwise – Love leaves us drained and dry, with a bitter-metallic taste in our throat.
We have poured out our lives, sometimes for years. And at the end of the honest season of Loving; in giving everything we knew we needed to give, we often find that the person(s) we have loved seem mostly clueless that they have been Loved in such a way. The goodness we have honestly poured onto them seems to have been shed like water off of some waterfowl’s back.
And in fact, the ones we have Loved, may turn around in anger and hurt us. This is usually because we are the people closest to these misguided souls. And Love will compel us to stay even longer – even though the pain of close contact grows.
Said more simply: Love hurts.
So, however, does everything about being a true warrior of the Cross in this world. We were not Designed to lie down on comfortable beds of convenience. We were Made to stand and fight. And when we have to sleep, any place that is horizontal enough to accommodate REM and Theta-wave states is seen as adequate. Food is taken as fuel. Water is to hydrate. His Word is real Life. Training is to prepare for spending of life. And marching is the walks we take with 110-pound packs of concern for others on our backs. And weapons of our warfare are for destroying the lies of the enemy.
Further though, there is a secret in the warrior who forgoes the comfort of avoiding the battle. In Loving the way that Love is Designed to Love; in fighting the battles to the end, the real warrior finds what only the minority of people who ever “fight,” find:
Rest.
True Rest.
Deep Rest.
And Love like they never thought possible.
For even if the warrior never really breaks through on the earthly battle set before him, he has learned the Source of his strength. And not only has he learned to rely on this strength, he has learned to live awash in the Love of the Provider of this strength.
Even so, it can sometimes get even better than living in the streams of Living water flowing from Him and within ourselves. Sometimes, the one we are Loving, joins us in the flow. The dry and bitter fight to bring real Love to another is sometimes successful. And from this reality comes the motivation for the warrior to continue his quest.
Can we see it? In rescuing a fallen victim with the weapons of Love; in watching this same Love restore them to Life, a warrior finds the satisfaction and hope they have always hoped for. At the end of the protracted battles to set someone free, we find that is indeed worth it. Setting even one person free is worth it. Totally worth it. For the value of one is just as infinite as a group or multitude.
So, are you feeling discouraged in your attempts to Love that person or persons in your life? Keep fighting. For even if you lose, you have won through to experience the Love of the One who has empowered you to fight. And sometimes, just sometime, you fight through to the place where the one you are Loving is so healed that they can join you in the next battle.
Tonight is your night beloved. Fight on. Just Love. You are almost Home. And the Love you have both received and spent will not have been spent in vain.
