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Becoming a Soldier for Christ
Running Towards the Fire
They are like soldiers who want to make war in order to capture the spoils and become rich; they have understood that such riches cannot be acquired any other way. This is their duty: to labor. Oh, what a great thing it is when the Lord gives this light to understand the abundance that is gained in suffering for Him! (St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life)
Introduction
Waterside Down Episode 2 (Netflix) — It was night and the group of rabbits were approached by a predator (i.e. Fox). Bigwig, the soldier rabbit, urged the rest to run to safety. Seeing that they had gone in the right direction, he ran towards the Fox and fought with him.
I was deeply moved by the scene. Bigwig has fortitude. He belongs to the Owsla (military caste of the rabbits). This meant that he had to be imbued with natural strength (Owsla rabbits are larger and stronger than the others) and trained with special skills (e.g. fighting skills).
When confronted by a potential threat, the other rabbits are taught to flee. The Owsla are taught to engage.
Some year back I was part of the national team for Taekwondo and had to attend trainings six days a week. After some time, the Taekwondo moves became ‘muscle memory’ to me. When I was in the arena…
