The Dragon Chronicles Book 1, Ch.1...The Way of the Warrior

Warrior. It's a word that is associated with people in war. A word that most people are given when defending their country or anything in relation to battle. People, (usually in the media), have gone on to use the word in the realms of boxing, American football, basketball, and even futbol, (soccer for those that are slow like that lol). What do you commonly think of when you think of the word, warrior? I guess I should start this off by what the warrior stands for in this day and age. The dictionary defines the word warrior as such:

warrior - n. 1. a person engaged in warfare; soldier
                  2. a person who has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics

Now in terms of the first definition, I can actually agree with that 1. I can even to a certain degree agree with part about athletics. Then again, I can't. I cant call someone a warrior that's fighting for people's amusement. That isn't what the warrior spirit is about. A warrior fights to defend his country, his family, and those who he has given his loyalty to. No warrior fights for amusement. For the crowd's approval and their cheers and there DAMN SURE isn't a such thing as a warrior in politics. HA! That's a joke. Politics are so shady now, even those who have tight knit alliances with each other are being betrayed left and right and ALL for the greed of money. The way of the warrior isn't just related to battle. It's related to life outside of defending that which you hold dear. The medieval knights knew this. The legendary samurai knew this. Even the honorable military, (GO TROOPS...HOOAH, Semper Fi...and whatever the Navy and Air Force say lol) knows this. The warrior's way isn't just for the battleground. It's something that needs to be upheld in every aspect of life.

After almost losing my mind last night, I needed to be reminded of why the warrior's spirit was instilled in me. God always has a way of bringing me back to where I need to be, whether I want to willingly go or not (if you thought God wasn't gonna be a part of this, kick rocks. I am the leader I am because of the 1 who leads me). He always has a way of igniting things in me that I thought were dead or dying. The warrior is not just a defense of those that he cares about. The warrior is also 1 that realizes there's always a reason why you should stand up for something that's right, even when everyone is against you and throwing everything they can in your way to stop you. I know this ALL too well and firsthand since it's happening to me now. After last night's never ending battle in the war between my heart and my mind, I was about to walk away from EVERYTHING and EVERYONE because I didn't wanna do this anymore. I honestly just couldn't take the pain, the thoughts, the EVERYTHING HAPPENING TO ME AND IT WAS S**T THAT I DIDN'T DESERVE!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! (OK just had to get that out lol) But in all seriousness, I almost did lose it and almost lost myself within all of my sadness, sorrow, and anger. But if there's 1 thing God has had a habit of doing to me over these last 7 months, it's bringing me back to the point of where I need to be before I fall too far down.

My Leader always has a way of teaching me new things through the things that I already know, but need to re-learn in a different perspective. Satan is using nothing but fear and sorrow in my life and torturing me with thoughts of you and him in the past and now, Charlize. But honestly, he's only going at my heart and I know it. But the craziest part of it all is that he's never once attacked my warrior's spirit. If I had to guess, I think he realizes it's the 1 thing that he cant break because it was the Lord who put it there and it's unbreakable. It's what God told me that makes this that much more important to me and it's something that I've forgotten because I've haven't had to do it in a while. I realize that He has me here because of something that is greater than me or what I want. That is a DIRECT point in the code that I live by now. This is much greater than me and plus, if anything, He made me a promise in the form of you, baby, before I met you 2 1/2 hours later, so why this eats at me the way it does? If I had to say, it's just that I'm very protective of you and I just wanna hold, and kiss, and love you, and blah blah blah all the romantic stuff that I love doing for you, lol, but that's another time and blog entry (which will be coming soon :D)

Speaking of romance, it brings me to the code that I should have been living by for the longest, 1 that God himself brought me to. The Code of Chivalry. Usually, people think of some long forgotten code on how to treat women that men have forgotten because they're stupid, selfish, only out for 1 thing idiots who cant see the value in a good woman until she's gone. While in certain respects that was acceptable, that really isn't what the code of chivalry is about. I now realize that God has been wanting me to live this in my daily life while ALSO keeping Him first and getting closer to Him. Even though I fall short of all of these sometimes, (sadly, I do bleed and I am human flesh), anybody who knows me can say that I do keep all these things close to me and that I do strive to keep my integrity. The Code of Chivalry states that a warrior (or knight) should strive to achieve:

• Prowess: seeking excellence in all endeavors expected of a knight, martial and otherwise, seeking strength to be used in the service of justice, rather than in personal aggrandizement.

• Justice : seeking always the path of 'right', unencumbered by bias or personal interest. Recognize that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered by humanity and mercy. If the 'right' you see rings agrees with others, and you seek it out without bending to the temptation for expediency, then you will earn renown beyond measure.

• Loyalty: Being known for unwavering commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live by. There are many places where compromise is expected; loyalty is not amongst them.

• Defense: Seeking always to defend your nation, your family, and those to whom you believe worthy of loyalty. The ideal knight was sworn by oath to defend his liege, lord, and those who depended upon him.

• Courage: Being prepared to make personal sacrifices in service of the precepts and people you value. At the same time, a knight should seek wisdom to see that stupidity and courage are cousins. Courage also means taking the side of truth in all matters, rather than seeking the expedient lie. Seek the truth whenever possible, but remember to temper justice with mercy, or the pure truth can bring grief. Being a knight often means choosing the more difficult path, the personally expensive one.

• FAITH: A knight must have faith in his beliefs, for faith roots him and gives hope against the despair that human failings create.

• Humility: Valuing first the contributions of others; do not boast of your own accomplishments, let others do this for you. Tell the deeds of others before your own, according them the renown rightfully earned through virtuous deeds. In this way the office of knighthood is well done and glorified, helping not only the gentle spoken of but also all who call themselves knights.

• Largess: Being generous in so far as your resources allow; largess used in this way counters gluttony. It also makes the path of mercy easier to discern when a difficult decision of justice is required

• Nobility: Seeking great stature of character by holding to the virtues and duties of a knight, realizing that though the ideals cannot be reached, the quality of striving towards them ennobles the spirit, growing the character from dust towards the heavens. Nobility also has the tendency to influence others, offering a compelling example of what can be done in the service of rightness.

• Franchise: Seeking to emulate everything I have spoken of as sincerely as possible, not for the reason of personal gain but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with these qualities. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure then you will be well remembered for your quality and virtue.

God definitely brought me to this because these things needed to be restrengthened in my life, especially in regards to faith. I've been fighting my impulsive nature to go out and do things myself on the basis of my Teacher telling me to be still and I can say that it isn't or hasn't been the easiest thing in the world to do. But because My Leader is still teaching me all that I need in terms of what I will need for the next part of my life and my family, I'm still continuing in my spiritual training. God's boot camp is DEFINITELY not for the faint of heart, I can attest to that. You will face things about yourself that you never knew. Things that you've long forgotten and encounter the most terrifying and frightening things of your past and future that you thought you could never conquer or have yet to, but I'm here to say that all of the training that He puts you through and gives you is WELL worth it all. 

The payoff that comes from it is so empowering and so serene that you will be able to take on ANYTHING until God brings you back to training camp for the next big thing to face. I'm glad that I have the best Trainer, Drill Sergeant, Master warrior, whatever you choose to see the Lord as. He is definitely the best teacher I've ever had, the best Leader this world has ever seen and will ever know, and by far the best Master that I've ever known. With God on my side, my training will never be complete, but I will be able to add even more knowledge and skill to myself, while still walking with Him and learning how to be a GREAT man of Him, molded after His heart as He walks with me down the warrior's path...