The Warrior Princess

She wasn’t always a warrior. Even now she still bleeds and feels pain and every wound. She stands and fights with weak knees and a trembling heart. But she fights, gathering arrows and filling her quiver. She fights, knowing the I Am who is ever near doesn’t waste her pain.

In times past there were days of defeat. Days when the arrows lodged deep- so deep they couldn’t easily be torn from her flesh. She writhed in pain and sunk deep in sorrow. She washed her wounds with her own tears even as she scanned the battlefield for a friend, a helper that never seemed to come. Those were the days that darkness swallowed her soul, that victory seemed sure for the enemy, that the arrows seemed to wound almost mortally deep. Those days when her knees buckled and her tears ran were the days she knew she had to keep trying. Trying to tear the arrows from her side. Trying to pull herself up. Trying to stand straight even if she must lean on the presence of the I AM. She knew if she tried to stand on her own she would surely fall and all would be lost. But if she didn’t try she knew the darkness would win.

Arrows seemed to fly so fast and furious and many found their mark. She looked at the arrows protruding painfully from her heart. They had names. Names like Abuse, Fear, Rejection, Depression, Anxiety, Perfectionism, Worry, Hopelessness, Loss, Grief, Sorrow, Loneliness. Some hit their mark so deeply that the wound gushed for days, weeks, months, even years. Some she easily removed but as soon as they were dislodged a new one just like it, or even stronger lodged in the same tender place.

The fighting became tiresome and her blood, sweat and tears seemed to begin to lose value. But yet, the presence of the I AM moved her ever so slightly and ever so gently. The Goodness of the I AM seemed to hold her up. He seemed to drip the cordial of Faith and Grace on her wounds from time to time. At the perfect time. At the last moment. The moment she thought she had been mortally wounded. The cordial seeped deep and warm and healing into the open wounds giving her just enough strength to stand once again.

She stood. As a tentative child on the inside even as He called her a regal warrior princess. She let the I AM  steady her steps and lift her head with his Goodness. She let Him minister to and heal the wounds. She took a breath of fresh air but as sure as the air entered her lungs the arrows began flying once again. Hitting their mark, stealing her joy. Shattering her hopes and dreams. Wounding, tearing and cutting at her soul.

She closed her eyes. She leaned hard into the I AM. She reached with a trembling hand and grasped an arrow burning and protruding from her side. She whispered the words the I AM had spoken to her, “This will not be wasted.” And she yanked it out hard and fast, leaving the stinging wound wide open. With force and determination she plunged the arrow into the quiver on her back. One at a time, with a strength that could have only come from the I AM, she continued to yank the arrows from the wounds in her body and force them into her quiver. Bleeding and broken she stood. This time bearing the call as the Warrior Princess.

She stood and stared into the enemy lines. From deep within she cried words not of this world. Words of strength and courage. Words that came from the I AM. She knew He had given her the quiver on her back and the bow in her hand for such a time as this.

Scanning the battlefields before her she saw the bodies strewn bleeding and wounded before her. She saw the arrows flying through the sky, many hitting their marks in the hearts of those people. She saw the people, their eyes full of fear. She saw some starring in disbelief at the arrows in their sides. She saw some giving up and wishing for death. She saw some wandering around aimlessly not knowing what to do.

She took hold of the bravery the I AM had given her at her birth and she stooped low before a young, wounded soul. She saw the name on the arrow. She sought the arrow bearing the same name from her own quiver  and with a vengeance she took aim at the enemy and fired. The I AM made sure the arrow hit straight and true.

With a tenderness and compassion birthed through understanding, she lifted the wounded soul from the field to walk beside her.

Again and again the Warrior Princess found arrows in her quiver bearing names that matched those that were wounding others. Boldly she would place the matching arrow on her bow and fire. Knowing the I AM would guide the arrow. Arrow after arrow became protection for others. Arrows that had been intended to kill her now became weapons that ministered faith and hope to others.

However, some on the battlefield covered their faces and refused her help out of shame. Some looked at her in disbelief calling her a fake and a fraud. Others refused to let her even get close enough to name the arrow. But for the few who accepted her strength and courage she fought. She fought hard.

Today she stands as a warrior not because she has always been a warrior but because she fell hard and leans hard on the I AM. Today she knows more arrows are coming, some will hit their mark, will wound and burn and even take her breath away. But there is something else she knows. The Goodness of the I AM. She has Him and He has her and He said the pain can make her brave. He said the strength comes in the fighting. He gave her the quiver. He taught her to use the arrows and He will make them straight and true.

She still bleeds and feels the pain. Her hands still tremble and her knees quake but today she will stand, gather arrows and fight like the Warrior Princess the I AM told her she is.

(This is a word picture of a vision the Lord gave to a very good friend of mine for me.)

Hard is Hard

I ran across a particular meme on social media the other day, it said, “I hear you. Raising kids and running a house keep me busy too. I also have this little gig on the side called a full time job.”

Thankfully it was on a social media page and not in real life or I might have just come unglued right then and there! As it was, my poor husband had to listen to me rant and rave and then watch me mull and cry over this one little meme. I know, I know, it is just social media right? I know, I know, it isn’t real life right? But you know what? It IS real. It means something.

What it means is that one person somehow thinks they have a corner on the market of “hard” when it comes to living life. It means that one person seems to think they have the right to tell someone else that unless they have “walked in their shoes” then they have no room to feel like life is hard. It means that somehow one person thinks they have the right to see others’ hard times as trivial if they don’t think they compare to the hard stuff in their own life.

Look, LIFE IS HARD. It just is. It is supposed to be hard. What? Yes. I said it. Life is supposed to be hard. Somewhere along the line of history we bought into, swallowed and embraced the idea that we are supposed to achieve the life of perpetually sunny days, no work, all play and no struggle. This simply isn’t true. The Bible is very clear that in this life we WILL have struggles (John 16:33, 1 Peter 4:12, James 1:2,- to name a few). Yes, Jesus made a way for us to choose joy, to grow and to have hope in the midst of struggles and hardships but hardships are a guarantee, nonetheless.

Some days we might get it right. Some days we might encounter hardships and be able to smile and move right on through it. Some days we might be organized and have all our stuff together. Some days we might even be able to endure and laugh and enjoy life even though deep down it feels really, really hard. Some days that is great! But other days maybe not so much. Sometimes we crash and burn. Sometimes we fall and feel overcome and overwhelmed. Sometimes we cry and ask why and scream about it not being fair. Guess what. That is ok too. So, if it is ok for you. Let it be ok for others.

Maybe, just maybe, your neighbor or friend or coworker or church acquaintance is also struggling in life. Maybe, just maybe, they are encountering hard days, days of grief, days of trial and maybe they are feeling overwhelmed by life in general. Is it your job to say whether today is an ok day for them to feel that way? Do you get to say how hard is hard enough to finally claim "life is hard"? No. You don’t. Their hard may not seem very hard to you but it is so very hard for them. Let them have their hard. Let them have their days of struggle. Be there for them, support them, pray for them, encourage them but please, oh please, do not belittle their struggle by saying “Well, my life is harder than yours and I’m not crying about it so neither should you.”

For goodness sake, we really have no idea at all what they are really going through. We don’t know their heart. We don’t know all there is to know about what they are encountering. Sometimes the best friendship, the best support, the best thing you can do is to let them experience their hard stuff in their own way.

Don’t misunderstand. It is the vital role of the body to encourage, lift up and bring life to those around us. This can be done without minimizing their hurt, their grief and their struggle. This can be done in such a way that builds them up, builds relationships and points them to the Father. Sometimes we don’t need to say what we encountered in our own journey or what seems hard in our own lives in order to prove to someone else that we understand what they are going through. Sometimes just listening and offering kind words is enough. Sometimes just empathizing with the feeling of “ life is hard” is good enough without comparing your hard life to theirs.

I have gotten this wrong. So. Many. Times. I know I have hurt others by minimizing their life experience. For that, I am truly sorry. I am learning to love without judging, to care without comparing and to encourage without advising. May we learn.

I implore you, Body of Christ, let us put aside our judgement. Let us put aside our impressions and opinions. Let us put aside our own needs and attend to those who are struggling around us. You aren’t the only one with hard stuff going on. You don’t have a corner on that market. And just because you think someone else’s hard isn’t as hard as yours doesn’t mean it isn’t hard to them. Hard is hard, my friend. It is just hard.

And may we remember that social media is not a place to fling stones and think nobody will get hurt. People are people whether behind a screen or in front of our face. And if we must err, may we err on the side of love and grace.

So, may your hard days be well weathered and may your hearts find healing in the helping of others. May your roots grow strong and your fruit grow beautiful as you endure your hardships and one day, lend a loving hand of understanding to others.