“Doing The Hard Thing” (Gen.22;Mt.5:37;1Tim.6:6) [Reflections on Ralph D. Sawyer's Translation of One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies - Battle Tactics of Chinese Warfare # 21-22B #4/10]

“The boundary question” comes in many forms –
“Tough love’s” solution, one of many norms
Folks speak and write of, in their helping tasks;
Learn “No”, my friend, to most of what one asks.

“Benevolence” is well and good, of course;
But each of us have limits to resource;
If you say “Yes”, can’t see that “No” is kind,
You’ll be worn down, with nothing left behind.

It’s “Suffering” we back off, if it’s seen
To be from us, “Be nice; avoid the mean”;
But that’s not right – a “No” is also love,
When rightly used in land of push and shove.

Set boundaries, don’t let folks suck you dry;
If you don’t stop the evil one, you’ll die;
For he’s no problem with inflicting pain;
In service of our Lord, there is great gain.

But enemy to good, is not mankind;
It’s “evil”, “satan”, “devil”, come to mind
As terms we use in English for “the foe”;
And what is “Right” or “Wrong” we think we know.

Lord, as we enter service in Your task,
Do things which You require, when we are asked,
The target, now I see, is “evil”, not,
Mankind as such – a tougher way to walk.

For we buy into evil in our lives
As we hack out existence – selves and wives;
But what I’ve found – You’ve made a place to stand –
Your Kingdom-layer, from which we lend a hand.

Not by ourselves, but as a “Body-part”
With You as head, like Adam at the start;
“Diversity in unity” – as such,
We all complete your task of needed touch –

Of love in universe, here, day by day;
In doing so beat evil down today,
And each succeeding day ’till end of time,
When evil’s gone, and things come back in line.

It’s more than just “Alliances” with kin,
And others walking in the fix we’re in;
It’s body-unity from Kingdom-layer,
As we live out the practice-side of prayer.

Thanks Lord for this.

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