The Fight

Photo Credit:  ainsliejoon from morgueFile.com

Some time ago, my father-in-law ran across a deer skull in his pasture.  I understand that this isn’t a rare find.  However, what made the discovery so extraordinary to me was that it wasn’t just one skull…it was two skulls…and their antlers were so tangled up in each other that we could not separate them no matter what we tried.  Twist.  Pull.  Tug.  Twist.  Pull.  Tug.  Nothing.  They wouldn’t budge.

My son wanted to keep the locked pair of antlers in his room, so I have the opportunity to look at and ponder them daily.  When I glance at those antlers, it makes me think about how those bucks fought to their death.  They relentlessly fought and fought and fought, while neither was willing to give in or give up.  It’s powerful really.

What are WE willing to fight for? 

On a daily basis, people fight for many reasons.  Certain personality types fight more often, no doubt.  Other personalities avoid fighting at all costs.  Many moms I know “pick their battles,” in that they only really want to exert the energy when it’s something that truly matters in the grand scheme of things.  Spilled milk?  A messy room?  Not a biggie.  Bullying?  Drugs?  Yep.  Let’s talk.  Then, Momma puts on her boxing gloves and steps into the ring.

In my time on this earth, I have witnessed people fighting for their family, children, love, marriage, friendships, liberty, freedom, spiritual truths, justice, life, faith, and values…just to name a few.

We all have a God-given responsibility to use the gifts He has bestowed on us to fight for something.  Each one of us has a purpose.  We can greatly influence those around us when we get inspired to stand up for something we believe in.  It’s contagious.  Maybe someone is waiting for you to spark their fire too?  It just takes one spark.  Just one.  Maybe it’s yours they need?

I read somewhere that there is no greater purpose than giving your heart filled with compassion and love.

As my daughter wrapped up her soccer season, we had the amazing opportunity to be in the audience of Chagy the Clown.  Have you ever heard of him?  Well, I hadn’t either before that night.  Now, that is a man who gives his heart with compassion and love (and a HUGE dose of laughter!). 

Per his website, Chagy has trained with some of the best retired clowns from Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus.  He also has a Masters Degree in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a focus on Missions.  (Laughter AND Jesus…what a winning combination!)

Chagy’s main purpose is to reach the unreachable.  He is the founder of the “Circus of The King” (Circo Del Rey), a mass evangelism outreach ministry.  The Circus has been ministering to the public in Puerto Rico and the United States since 1994.  Thousands have heard the good news of Jesus Christ through these “Center Ring Crusades.”  In addition to the Circus, Chagy has been performing his own solo show for audiences of all ages since 1992.

His circus-style clown training and his theological education have allowed him the ability to minister everywhere from the smallest of churches to the largest of stadiums.  Chagy has visited and ministered in at least thirty different countries.  He told us that he was in Iraq recently and only about ten miles from incredible danger.  But, he was so focused on his goal of bringing Jesus to the people there that nothing could stop him.  He was willing to die as he brought hope to the hopeless.  Wow.  Just wow.

As we approach Memorial Day, I cannot help but think about all of those courageous men and women who have gone before us…fighting for what they believed in.  With the sea of red, white, and blue flags adorning the roads, I reflect on that level of bravery and intense love for our country and its freedoms.

A couple of years ago on Veterans Day, I wrote a poem called, “A Military Heart.”  Many of you have read it before, but for all of those who haven’t; I thought I would share it again.  It expresses my deep appreciation and love for those who fight for what they believe in:

A military heart is unique, it must be true,

The blood that pulses deep within is red, white, and blue.

Its love is like a fire that grows when it is shared,

For complete and total strangers, they have truly cared.

All heroes past and present, at war and at peace,

My admiration for you all will never ever cease.

Veterans who went by choice or those who had been drafted,

I feel that God took extra care with certain hearts He crafted.

He had to make them strong and brave, but tender all the same,

He knit them in their mother’s womb and knew them each by name.

It would take a special heart to leave loved ones behind,

To kiss and hug good-bye with Old Glory on their mind.

The countless sacrifice they made for freedoms we enjoy,

For every man, every woman, every girl, and every boy.

For those who have such passion for our great U.S. of A,

Who’ll stand for life and liberty, so we can speak and pray.

If you see a warrior, please give them all our love,

For the heart that beats within them is a gift from God above.

We’re thankful, oh so thankful, for that heart we have admired,

For giving so unselfishly, although it may be tired.

We’d never know of its fatigue - it’s hidden way inside,

For that heart is full of love, as deep as it is wide.

On Veterans Day and all the days that come before and after,

We thank you for allowing us a life of hope and laughter.

To wake each day knowing what you must have seen and heard,

It’s hard to find the thoughts to share - there isn’t just one word.

What can we say?  What should we say?

A debt we just cannot repay.

I think I’ll just say thank you from the bottom of my heart,

I’ll pray for you - thank God for you.  That’s certainly a start.

I’ll do my best to wake each day full of gratitude,

I’ll make a daily effort with a thankful attitude.

I’ll live to nurture peace – I’ll try to do my part,

And I’ll thank the Lord everyday…for your military heart.

What moves YOU so deeply that it stirs “the fight” within?

This Memorial Day, let’s reflect on what WE are willing to fight for.  I know that I will especially remember to do this, as I pass by the locked antlers in my son’s room.

Have a wonderful week, Sunshines!