I think I’ve figured something out about the whole warrior thing. Being a warrior is not the goal. There’s more to it than that. I came up with the warrior thing a few years ago when I chose “Warrior” as my word for the year. My mousey, fearful self was tired of cowering in fear when faced with a challenge.
Perseverance and Surrender
I didn’t realize that warriors aren’t any braver, stronger, or more competent than anyone else. If anything, warriorship is about perseverance more than strength. Perseverance and surrender.
In my earlier blogs, I connected being a warrior with figuring out your purpose. I said that sometimes we have to go through the hard stuff to get to a place where we can know who we are. We had to fight for it, like a warrior.
That’s all great, but I think I may have missed a very important point.
Surrender.
More than Just Being All You Can Be
Understanding ourselves, knowing who we are, and who we want to be is an important part of growing up. I think everyone should persevere through life’s trials, be honest, be themselves, and fully live in their own skin. No lies, no pretending, and no worrying about what everyone else thinks.
But, the road doesn’t stop there. The actual destination is surrender.
Be Your Own Person
In our family we have this phrase, “Be your own person.” It started long ago when one of our kids pointed out that she wasn’t a carbon copy of anyone else. She was her own person. And now, those same words pop into our conversations when one of us is trying to figure out what they want. “Be your own person.” Know what you want—who you are and who you want to be. Don’t please men. Please God.
Lately, I’ve been wondering if maybe I got the phrase wrong. The goal of our lives was never to be our own person. Being a warrior isn’t the final destination. That’s not why we were created. We were created to be God’s person—to belong to Him.
With that beautiful belonging to God comes surrender—surrender of our hopes, dreams, hurt, loss, money, right to be heard, all of it. And with surrender comes life. It’s a paradox I cannot explain, but I know it’s true.
More than a Warrior
When we trust God with our life, follow him, obey, and trust Him, then something amazing happens. We turn from warriors into children of the King of Kings. We no longer live insecure and uncertain lives, but lives filled with hope, peace, and even joy in the face of heartbreak and pain.
It’s not perfect, mind you. We still live in a fallen world, but there is hope—hope the world can’t give.
So, listen dear warrior, it’s time to surrender. Lift your arms and trust God almighty with your steps. You are not your own person. You’ve been bought with a price. Love awaits you. You’re more than a warrior. You’re God’s beloved child.
Check out my short story “The Door” on page 41.
Mary Beth, your blog post really hit home for me. For the past many months, I have been struggling with the concept of surrender. That word has negative connotations for me in that surrender equals vulnerability. But I’m learning I must have the vulnerability of a child. Only then can I experience richness and security in my relationship with God. Your word, paradox, describes this perfectly. Thank you for another relevant, meaningful blog post.
Deb, thank you for commenting. I’m still wrapping my head around surrender. God’s grace and mercy to us is so vast and his love so full, yet I hold back. May we be bold with our surrender!