Surrounded
He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight[1].
The DNA of fighters run profusely through my veins. I fight for my people, my heritage, my blood rite. I fight for the lost, the marginalized, the discarded and the abuse. However, when the fight comes to my front door, who will fight for me. When words of falsehood surround me, and others began to scandalized my name, who will set a standard against the enemy? It the midst of the battle a voice whispers, “Keep silent.” Keep silent is not a fighter wants to be when injustice is taking place. Fighter fight, they do not keep silence so that it can be assumed. However, through history and even our biblical history, there were moments were the Silent Warrior arose. A silent warrior is one that stands in the midst of a battle, rightly justified to make a charge towards the enemy but is halted because the battle is more significant than themselves. This battle will be vindicated by the one who called the warrior for His purpose and He being God will receive the glory.
The reading of Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney, could not have graced my presence at a better time. It was insightful and potent for this current season of life. According to the Word of God, we will all face with trials and tribulations, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”[2] It is clear at some point in time, there will be trials and tribulation as the Jesuits face in their time in exile, but they took heart, waited, and the outcome was more significant than they expected. They had the ability and opportunity to fight back, but instead, they waited in silence until the appointed time.
The keys learned from their experience is in order to win every trial and tribulation is all in how one and when one posture themselves to respond. In the story earlier, there is a part of a fighter’s DNA to do just that to fight. However, we learned from the Jesuits that the fight is not what needs to be won; it is the war that needs to be won. When faced with opposition one has to see it from a warrior’s viewpoint instead. Assess the opposition with himself/herself alongside others in mind; is it a battle only or connected to something greater. When they respond it “is not just a response to the crisis but a consciously chosen approach to life; it is judged not by the scale of the opportunity but by the quality of the response to the opportunity at hand”.[3]
As Christians, we have to take into consideration what the word indicates during our assessment as well.
Over the past couple of months, stories have surfaced concerning God’s people being under attack. The attacks have been brutal and very public. Seeing and hearing their plight troubled me to my core and within the warrior began to arise. Consequently the attacks not only hit them, but a battle began to ignite in my homefront. People were aware of the battle before we knew, but they watched and awaited our response. Contrary to how others thought we should react, our instruction was explicit, remain silent, take heart for I have overcome the world.
It is not easy staying silent when there are attacks on every side with no light in sight. A writer once said, “Stillness teaches us restraint, and in restraint, we can discern what appropriate engagement looks like.”[4] There is a moment in the silence that one recognizes as a time to allow the Holy Spirit to help strategize the counterattack in prayer; discern that is a battle, and God has the outcome of the war. Therefore the victory will be more magnificent.
When trials and tribulations come:
- Take heart, for the Lord, has already overcome the world
- Understand it may be a small battle (distraction) preventing the sight of war
- Have to correct posture for people are awaiting your response
- When instructed to be silent, do so and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you how to pray
- Sit back because God has it under control; victory is on the horizon
“Surrounded (Fight My Battles),” a favorite Christian song written by Michael W. Smith comes to mind.
[1] Eric Jackson, “Sun Tzu’s 31 Best Pieces of Leadership Advice,” Forbes, May 23, 2014, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2014/05/23/sun-tzus-33-best-pieces-of-leadership-advice/#6a2f64e55e5e.
[2] John 16:33 ESV
[3] Chris Lowney, Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-year-old Company That Changed the World(Chicago: Loyola Press, 2003),242.
[4] Christopher L. Heuertz, The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth (Zondervan, 2017).
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