W.A.R.

Okay, so in my last post, Superhero Strength - and Weakness, I talked about the necessity of W.A.R. This is not to be mistaken with war, which is what we wage against the world. I want to talk a little bit more about this idea of being W.A.R. Now, I will admit, 'W.A.R.' is not necessarily an adjective that sounds good when we are describing ourselves. It's like saying, "Oh yeah, I'm totally W.A.R." Honestly, this just sounds bizarre, and not at all sane. However, I think that this is an adjective, of sorts, that we all should have as defining ourselves. In case you need a refresher, it stands for:

Willing
Active
Ready

Now these are just some nice words that we want to describe ourselves. These words are like "nice," "kind," or "loving." Hopefully we embody these things as well, but these words are different. They are meant for action. Now, if we look at the Avengers, we see a group of leaders. We see a team of people who are human - complete with strengths AND weaknesses. However, before we get too far into this, let's look at what a leader is. A leader is (or should be - some of these are strengths of most leaders and some of them are weaknesses, you should be able to tell the difference)...

• Demanding
• Controlling
• Composed
• Courageous
• Strong
• Has initiative
• Directive
• Observant
• An example
• Charismatic

They should also definitely be (but too often are not)...

• Understanding
• Encouraging
• Compassionate (why do I like Captain America so much? =))
• Gentle (gentleness is often seen as weakness; however, I have found that it takes great courage and strength to be gentle in our society today. It is a strength in all forms.)
• Inspiring

However, you can have all of these characteristics and NOT be a leader. Yes, it is possible. A true leader must be, no matter what else:

• Willing
• Active
• Ready

There is no way for a true leader to be without those. Think about it. Would you be willing to follow a leader who was not willing to go into battle himself, but made you go on without him? I wouldn't. Would you be motivated to work and prepare for battle if all your leader did was sit around, take naps, and give orders? If he wasn't active? I wouldn't. Would you be prepared to go into battle if your leader himself was not ready to go? I wouldn't. These characteristics are easy to attain. They take guts. It isn't easy to face battle. But if we aren't even willing to try, the battle is already over. 

Do you really think that the Avengers would have accomplished anything if they hadn't been willing to fight? If they hadn't taken the initiative to be active and go? If they hadn't prepared themselves to fight Loki? If they hadn't, then they wouldn't have succeeded. Because each of them was W.A.R., they were able to overcome their differences in order to work together. Were they a perfect team? By no means. However, they were able to play on each others weaknesses and strengths in order to defeat Loki. There were a team of leaders. 

Now, I don't think that this just relates to the Avengers. I think that it relates to us, in our everyday lives. Looking at the Bible, we can see that Jesus led by example. He was the very essence of W.A.R., just in case you didn't know. He said things that encouraged change (Luke 5:8-11, Luke 5:27-29). He didn't force people to follow Him, but He encouraged a change in life so amazing that people couldn't help but follow Him - the same is true today. He is the very essence of a leader. He is a leader that I would be (and am!) able to follow because He is willing, He is active, and He is ready. He is not only that, but so much more! That is why I can't help but follow Him. "Be ready, but be willing." (Maggie) I sincerely hope that each of you reading this are able to honestly describe yourselves as W.A.R. If not, then what do you need to do in order to be? Remember, we fight a battle, but the victory is certain. It's like D-Day, to quote Emily. It's war.

Be willing.

Be active.

Be ready.

Blessings,

Hannah