The Scars of a Warrior

I watched warriors on the screen battling out with swords and spears. The intimidating champion comes out to the battlefield with a massive scar across his face and many others across his body. The warrior made me wonder how many fighters in movies seem to have physical flaws to be intimidating.

Doing a quick internet search to find out, I came across an article published by JAMA Dermatology in 2017. The report was about the physical characteristics of movie villains.  They found that six of the top ten villains had some physical defect. Most villains had scars, warts, deep wrinkles, dark circles under the eyes, a bulbous nose, or other types of what are considered defects.

The reason this fascinated me is simple. Those characters are intimidating when confronted. Why is it so intimidating when an opponent’s physically scarred champion faces someone on the battlefield? I think the answer is simple. He survived the other attacks.

I like to read about David’s mighty men. Few of us could fathom ourselves doing the exploits of these men. Josheb-Basshebeth killed eight hundred men in one battle. When the rest of his army retreated, Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord gave him the victory. These men are just two examples of the warriors listed with David in 2 Samuel 23.

We like to think of our warriors as strong and undefeated. However, this is rarely the case.

Those intimidating scars did not come from winning every battle. The warrior may have won the war, but somewhere along the line, a weapon struck him or her. The physical scars remain for all to see. It reminds us of the previous, but it also tells us that we are overcomers. We did not die from the weapons used against us. We prevailed. We can look at our scars and say the Lord delivered us. We can live to fight another day.

Not all scars are physical, however. David’s mighty men probably had a few physical injuries, but no one could see most of their wounds. These men most likely met David at the Cave of Adullam mentioned in 1 Samuel 22. “In addition, every man who was desperate, in debt, or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About 400 men were with him.”

Many wounds are emotional, spiritual, or mental. When you overcome these areas, like David’s mighty men, can see that you have faced a battle. They do not know what you have defeated. Only you know how each situation turned out. Emotional, spiritual, or mental scars are for your knowledge only. They should be no less a reminder to you of how you survived the battle to fight another day.

Do not look at your wounds and think you lost. Look at them and know you overcame them. The injury did not kill you. It cannot stop you from moving forward. The only thing that can stop you is you. If the enemy can get you to think you cannot win, he will. Rather than allowing this to happen, put your faith in God, who gives you the strength to carry on.

Regardless of what has injured you, live to fight another day. Be the warrior you were meant to be.

The Comeback

The LSU Tigers won two games this weekend to go to the College World Series. In both games, they had to come from behind to win. This made me think of several other come from behind victories and the emotions that went with them. 

On December 7, 1980, the Saints led the San Francisco 49ers 35-7 at halftime only to lose in overtime 38-35. They were 0-13 going into the game, and while the first half of football looked to be a sliver of hope for the team, this game dashed our dreams. Following this game, the fans began wearing bags on their heads when they went to the game and referred to the team as "The Aints". The Saints would win their only game of the year the following week and lose the week after to finish with a league low 1-15 record. It would take seven more seasons before the Saints would finish with a winning record. While the Saints continually lost, the San Francisco comeback stuck in my heart. It was a devastating loss. 

On February 5, 2017, The Atlanta Falcons has taken a 28-3 league about midway through the third quarter. They would not score again, and the New England Patriots would win the Super Bowl 34-28. As a Saints' fan, we are bitter rivals with the Falcons. While not a fan of the Patriots, this comeback was a moment of jubilation. 

Games like this fascinate me. How a team responds to being ahead or behind on the scoreboard says a lot about a team.  

Some teams see that they have a big lead and play as if they have already won. They take their eye off the prize and start basking in their own glory. Other teams never quit fighting and believe that they can still win. They will fight until the end. 

Life can be that way. Sometimes things are going so well, that we forget what our goals we have. We live as if the small victories are just as important as our main objective. They may be important but only as a means to an end. Do not lose focus of your goals or your purpose. 

Maybe life has been nothing but hardships. That does not mean you should stop playing. It means keep your focus. Do the basic things that create opportunities and seize the possibilities that present themselves to you. Do not give up on your game plan, but adjust it when appropriate. 

Thinking too much or too little of ourselves can change the outcome of a situation. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the Faith.   

 

When Life Hits

Stephen Piscotty is the starting right fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. He accomplished something that I have never seen until now. The ball hit him three times on the same trip around the bases.

A pitch hit his right arm that allowed him to go to first base. Then on a dropped pitch, he went to second, but the ball hit him on the arm during the play. Finally, as he went home, the ball hit him in the head. He laid there for several minutes before walking off the field under his own power. By the way, he did score on the play.

This was just the second game of the Cardinals season. Last year, a pitch hit Stephen 12 times, which ties him for eighth most in 2016.

There are times when life hits us hard. Sometimes it hits us several times in a short period. In tough times, we must make the decision to press forward. When we walk through the fires of life, we may end up with a few scars, but we can learn from those experiences. Even better is that we can teach others how to make it through the flames they face.

Some decide life is not fair and quit. They end up with no great accomplishments. No one benefits from his or her challenges or experience. Quitting benefits no one. Running from your problems does not make them go away. Usually, there is another one lurking right around the corner. Learn to get through one and use that experience to be victorious over the next one.

It is like learning how to walk. You take a step and then fall. You get back up and take another step. Falls will continue to be there for a while. One day, the falls stop. You learn how to stay upright. We need to do this in life.

This weekend, Sergio Garcia won his first major golf tournament at The Masters. This was his 74^th attempt at winning a major.  The lack of a major did not make him a bad golfer. In fact, between 2000 and 2009 Sergio ranked in the top 10 for over 300 weeks. He ranked as high as second in 2008. I am certain he is glad he never quit.

Time continues whether you see success or not. We need to make the best choices. We need to stay in the game. It may seem like you are accomplishing nothing, but you are gaining experience that can be used. You can share and teach the life lessons you learned. You may never win a Masters Tournament. You may never score in a Major Baseball League game. You can win at life.

If you lack some knowledge or skill that helps you to succeed, seek that knowledge or skill. Learn whatever you can learn. Learning may be easier than making the decision to seek the missing components. However, if you do not seek the tools required, you will never find them. Make the decision to continue. Stay in the game until you meet your goal. Never give up.