Saving Private Savior

The Rule: Warriors are Saviors

I have noticed people, particularly men, bestow the title "Warrior" upon themselves as if this title comes without repercussions. Some Christians call themselves Christ's warriors. I once thought of myself as a poetic warrior. Little did I know at the time the roles of a warrior.

The word "Warrior" embodies strength, power, masculinity, responsibility, and sadly it comes with a romantic aura that shatters preconceptions with a forceful blow. It is such a heavy word that one cannot throw it about like a child flings his school bag over his back every morning. It must be used with respect and understanding.

So what is a warrior? A warrior fights with words and action to preserve the quality of his tribe and his home. In every war faring culture this is the purest definition of a warrior. What then is the warrior's tribe and home? His tribe is a system of people working together to stay alive such as his church, work environment, his nation, town, his world. His home is where his family dwells and thrives in order to contribute the greater community. Of course there are invaders who want to steal resources, dominate and control communities. These invaders come from three sources: outside the tribe, in the tribe and inside the home. The very same tactic in defending the city walls, is the same tactic in defending personal walls of the home and the heart. These intruders have different values than yours, and they clash in brutal combat. It is a bleak battle, filled with fear and anguish. With every parley, there are injuries, if not casualties of both sides. A warrior accepts this, though it hard to do so. Comrades fall to their deaths before the warrior's feet. A warrior's heart hardens to the misery, and hates the enemy even more.

In the midst of a loss of a fellow comrade in arms, a warrior dons the burden of his brethren. He resents himself for not saving his life. He looks to himself as weak and unworthy of bearing the banner of his community even his home. He ostracizes himself, punishes his body, and imprisons his soul. The punishment for not living as a savior, is a self proclamation to be a POW (Prisoner of War).

Everyone has their battlefield, may it be at work, being a husband or wife, being dad or mom. A writer, an artists, an athlete. Day in and day out, we have reasons to fight. Day in and day out we win and we lose- either way casualties occur. And when they occur, we must not be POWs. Even if people capture us and say we are the cause of loss now go to prison, it is really our choice if we enter the cell.

Jesus died so warriors never become POWs. He never promises casualties won't occur. He does promise us he will set us free. Everybody gets hit by a stray bullet, sometimes it hits a limb, sometimes it strikes a vital organ. The streets are filled with people on crutches, wheelchairs, and bandaged up, but do they get past their wounds and live freely?

We can only be free as warriors if we realize it is not our job to save our tribe and save our home. Let's go back to the original definition of a warrior: "A warrior fights with words and action to preserve the quality of his tribe and his home." All a warrior can do is fight. The outcome of the fight is not his to control.

So here are some warriors and what they are and not responsible for:

1. Parent: They protect, raise and care for a child. They are not responible for the outcome of the child's growth, for their child's decisions, and their salvation from bullies and hardship.

2. An artist: He creates. He doesn't create for the purpose of a return.

3. An Worker: He does his best to produce a result that his supervisors desire. He doesn't always have to have a 100% track record.

4. Teacher: They teach students classroom materials as best as they can. They are not responsible for each student's success.

5. Someone working in Ministry: Love,God. Love people and do your best to bring them together. They are not responsible for their flock's salvation, for their spiritual growth, or for their sense of community.

We slap ourselves with the role of savior to all, and that's too hard of a burden to carry. Just fight and let God win the battle.