“Inclement Weather” (Lk.15; Rom.12:21; Deut.31:6) [Reflections on Ralph D. Sawyer's Translation of One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies - Battle Tactics of Chinese Warfare #93-94]
“Wind, and rain, and cold, and snow”,
Are not fun, the soldiers know;
Hunker down and read a book;
Take the break the ancients took.’Cept, of course, some used surprise
To then attack such quiet lives
Lulled to sleep by rainy days –
Recipe for death it says –Doesn’t matter what the cause –
Stay alert, on guard, because
Seeing you alert will warn
Enemies you’ll not be torn –From some novel’s candlelight,
Cocoa hot, tents done up tight;
Rather, they’ll get torn to shreds,
So skulk off – depressed instead.That’s the time to hit them hard –
Unexpectedly – rearguard
Will not on alert be still;
Scoff at whether – make the kill.Lord, I’m hearing in this set,
“Stay on guard” – relax? Not yet –
Rather, bear in mind his ways –
Evil does as evil says.But, flipped ’round that gives a clue
Of good time Your will to do –
Just advance – folks won’t expect
You to act with love, and yet –Overwhelmed, folks often are
When, in love, we’ve traveled far
For the sheep lost in the storm –
Bring him home to shelter warm.Jokes take on an added power
When expressed in stormy hour;
Hope expressed in hopelessness
Bears a certain winsomeness.So with all the panoply
Of Your tasks we come to see –
When inclement time arrives,
That’s where love, done right, can thrive.Thanks Lord for this.
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