WARRIOR PRINCESS

"I want a stronger, deeper faith. I mean, radically deeper. I want to know and love God better, and to be a bolder, wiser Christian."

I looked at my friend for several seconds, then took a deep breath. "Do you realize what you're asking?"

A wise older woman told me once, speaking of her children, "You don't want your children to have to struggle, to suffer, to endure trials. But, you know from experience that it's during trials that you often grow the most as a Christian. No, I don't want my kids to hurt, to have to wrestle with really hard things in life. But if trials are a means to growth and maturity as Christians, then, yes, I'd rather they have trials than a life of ease..."

Yesterday, my friend asked me to pray that God would give her a stronger, deeper faith. "Do you realize what you're asking?" I queried. "Do you realize the answer to such a prayer may come with much hardship?"

My friend didn't blink. "Yes. I do realize that. And if that's what it takes, well,...whatever it takes, I want to know and love God better."

"...to be a bolder, stronger Christian?"

"Yes."

"God's daughters....you know, He isn't growing us to be fairy princesses - He's growing us into warrior princesses..."

"Warrior princesses?"

I told my friend the story of Eowyn, shieldmaiden of Rohan, a character from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. One of my very favorite scenes from the LotR movies was when Eowyn, having just killed the Nazgul, challenged the Witch-king of Angmar at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The witch-king, the embodiment of all that is evil, laughed at the small mail-clad warrior, because he knew that no man could kill him. As Eowyn pulled off her metal helmet, her long blond hair cascaded over her shoulders. Sword drawn, she charged the witch-king: "I..AM...NO...MAN!"

My friend smiled and her face beamed. "Warrior princess!"

And so we prayed yesterday for stronger, deeper faith. To know and love God better.