“Where a man’s wound is, that is where his genius will be.”
One of my favorite parts of the Bible is the story of Gideon. For those of you unfamiliar, I would highly suggest taking a look at his life! What many Sunday school teachers forget to mention is that Gideon, at the time he was approached by the angel of the LORD, was the weakest member of the weakest tribe in the land; he was the weakest man in the land. His current circumstances were not held against him, as the angel addressed him in a manner proper for a warrior: “The LORD is with you, Mighty Man of Valor!” There’s something very significant about this, in that we can all learn something from the way Gideon was addressed.
You see, Gideon was addressed as a ‘Mighty Man of Valor’ even though it was very clear that his actions were not consistent with what we typically imagine that of a warrior to be. At the time he was addressed, Gideon was preparing his dinner in a wine press. While in Israel, I saw just what these presses looked like; they were large stone pits in the ground. Gideon was hiding himself from his enemies as he prepared his dinner, too frightened to show his face in a land overrun by his enemies. The words “Mighty Man of Valor” don’t exactly come to mind when I think of this image. Instead, I think of a term commonly used to describe felines.
The LORD addresses all of us as the people we were meant to be, rather than where we are at right now. Do you understand the significance of this fact? When I say “fact” I do not write these words carelessly. It’s the Love of a Father that can look past the inadequacies of His presently-weak children, to see the inner warrior in their hearts.
When I read the quote at the start of this entry, I thought immediately of my father. He is the first person I think of when I hear the word “genius” and also “wound”. Funny how that works out. He was, without doubt, the smartest and most intelligent man I have ever met. No, I’m not stating this because he was my father; it took many years of living with him, watching his actions, and seeing the way his mind worked. He was immaculate. On the contrary, when I think of the deepest wounds that have been dealt to me, I think of my father.
The difficult part of this matter is that I cannot choose to accept one benefit without facing the battle presented by inner wounds. With every mistake, I will see echoes of my father. With every ounce of success, I will hurt because I know he should have experienced it first. The path ahead is filled with his steps, pointing to both wonderful elements and also harmful mistakes. I pray that the LORD arms me with strength to overcome his past shortcomings, realize the potential he had, and restore success and honor to our family.
See, we live in a world that no longer recognizes honor. What are we fighting for? Why do you work hard? My brother made a comment about a particular demographic of students in college, “Aaron, they study hard because the honor of their family is on the line. American students don’t understand this drive.” Somewhere in our family tree, a spirit of adventure and success was given up. I had a grandfather who killed a 45-foot python with his father, survived encounters with sharks, ran from cannibals, was shot down several times in the war, and fought for every ounce of life he had. Part of me questions whether or not he was ashamed of his adventurous lifestyle, prompting my father to instead live a tamed life; capping his potential, ambition, and realization of success.
Fight.
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