Life Is Battlefield, Not a Playground.
Too many guys are convinced that life a playground, not a battlefield. Having visited the oracle of Bruno Mars, they come away with the hidden wisdom of YOLO, you only live once. Snug within this worldview, men ignore the need for training, discipline, and focus. Such training is superfluous. No one does pull-ups to prepare for the monkey bars. No one signs up for jujitsu to improve on the Merry-Go-Round. The playground only has three rules: respect others, stay safe, and have fun. Such is the life philosophy of most men.
“The playground only has three rules: respect others, stay safe, and have fun. Such is the life philosophy of most men.”
Yet, the Bible teaches that life is a battlefield, not a playground. This shift of perspective changes everything, like a letter in the mail with the personal headline ‘Drafted for War’. If life is about Saturday night, what ultimately matters is craft beer, good queso, and having the right game on a 72 inch screen. Spiritual fitness is of no greater importance than an infomercial for Rogaine. But if life is a battle in the trenches, the music stops. Preparation and training become imperative. The man who hears artillery fire in the distance could give a care about Monday Night Football. He wants to know how to use an M16.
This warped perspective is one reason why so many Christian guys end up causalities of ordinary life. They are unprepared for the live fire of spiritual warfare. Men can’t handle failure because they believe Disney when it says that dreams come true. They are surprised by grief since death looks fun on Xbox. They get angry at God if struck by illness or catastrophe because, in a Western democracy, life, liberty and a good cell phone connection are basic human rights. Guys carelessly step out into the world like a bunch of third graders on recess. No wonder most end up casualties of war. They aren’t fit for battle.