Going Merrily into Battle

“The doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

~James 1:7-8 (NRSV)

There is a discrete, yet important, connection between the above verse and the thread of this article, but that will come later. What will also come later is a model for living life valiantly in the archetype of the warrior. Perhaps we can liken the warrior in us as being the opposite of the doubter in us. The warrior can go merrily into battle; the doubter cannot.

With this article comes an image: the grounded masculine and masculine feminine warrior—one who sees life’s problems as positively inspiring pieces of stimuli for learning and eventual resolution.

Resolution is the objective.

But first I must allay the fears of women who may be reading this regarding the language of the masculine, and men who may be reading regarding the language of the feminine. What we actually need is a both-gender solution—the best of both sexes. We need both the masculine and the feminine to work as a unit. As human beings we are made of both.

The Portrait of a Unisex Warrior

The unisex warrior is a person who is disciplined enough to keep all of their panic contained in order to patiently work through it. This is not easy, as most things in life can prove harder than we want them to be.

The traits of the warrior are not overtly masculine, nor are they missing in femininity—both the masculine and feminine are involved because a meld of both gender traits is necessary for meeting all the wiles of life.

The unisex warrior we are talking about battles not with sword and spear, but with a confidence of love in a social setting. They go into their world on a daily basis prepared for a fight, not with other people, but from within themselves. They are Trojans against an enemy that resides within.

This type of warrior, and we should all want to be one, is inquisitive about how they think and feel; they are very contemplative regarding their moment-by-moment fit in the world. They don’t just observe; they act, too. They are getting to know their enemy—that enemy within. Being a warrior means we study our enemies.

Because this warrior archetype is neither male nor female, the image fits both genders. Both men and women can be warriors, and should be. What the warrior has is resolve and a passion for resolution.

Resolve and Resolution, Together – Traits to Nurture

If we rise each day with the resolve to patiently endure we will generally prevail. Furthermore, if upon every one of our problems we seek a suitable resolution we will generally find it. Both these resolve and resolution virtues are warrior virtues.

When we have patient resolve all doubt is extinguished. When we have a passion for resolution doubt cannot survive.

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The warrior archetype is helpful for going merrily into battle. Life is a battle and we battle mostly with ourselves. If we wish to go merrily into our daily battles we are best to nurture resolve and a passion for resolution. If we can live this way we won’t doubt and we can expect to be blessed.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.