“A warrior, once he reckons his calling and endures its initiation, seeks three things. First, a field of conflict. This sphere must be worthy. It must own honor. It must merit the blood he will donate to it.
“Second, a warrior seeks comrades. Brothers-in-arms, with whom he willingly undergoes the trial of death. Such men he recognizes at once and infallibly, by signs others cannot know.
“Last, a warrior seeks a leader. A leader defines the cause for which the warrior offers sacrifice…The greatest commanders never issue orders. Rather, they compel by their own acts and virtue the emulation of those they command. The great champions throw back on you. They make you answer: Who am I? What do I seek? What is the meaning of my existence in this life?” The Profession: A Thriller
– Steven Pressfield
Whether or not we realize it, we are all in a fight. The idea of manhood has been under attack for years. What does it mean to be a man? Part of this attack on manhood seems to be the pacification (I could think of more colorful words) of men.
Don’t let your little boys play with toy guns. It might make them aggressive. Don’t let them play contact sports. They might get hurt. Don’t teach them to fight back when a bigger kid is bullying them. If they fight back they will get the idea that violence solves problems. Navy SEAL sniper, Chris Kyle, made the astute observation: “Contrary to what your mother told you, sometimes violence does solve problems.”
There is a warrior inside of most men that just wants to be released. Society and culture wants us to suppress that warrior but there is a war going on. It might be your marriage that is under attack. Will you fight for your marriage and do what it takes to love and protect your wife? There is a war for the hearts of our children. Who is going to be the primary influence in their lives?
For those of us who are Christians, we understand that we are in a spiritual battle. This war is not fought with human weapons or physical violence, but make no mistake, it is a real war. The Apostle Paul even used the analogy of a Roman soldier getting ready for a battle in Ephesians six. The picture is of the warrior taking the time to ready his kit and carefully put on each piece of armor before picking up his shield and sword and taking his place in the line of other warriors.
Every fighting man or woman has certain rituals that they go through to prepare themselves for the fight. They may have a certain way that they check their weapons and gear every time. For those of us who are Christ followers, reading the Bible and spending some time in prayer should be at the top of our list as we put on our spiritual armor.
As Pressfield said, finding our comrades, our mates that we can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with is another thing that every warrior seeks. None of us are good enough or strong enough to fight this battle alone. The last thing that the fighting man seeks is a leader. Who are you following? Sure you might be leading others yourself, but who are you following? Who we follow defines us.
Can you think of anything else that defines a warrior?
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