A Warrior's Wait

There is no battle greater than the battle of waiting for something you have long desired. The fight against the deep loneliness that builds in your gut and wraps around your heart like a never ending slow painful thud.  

The High King you know is the only answer to your greatest longing but to trust that He is good and His timing is perfect when life feels silent and void of hope. ... When there is no light on the horizon.  And you trudge on year after year... alone.

To stand in those long seasons,  To praise and hope in that blackness. Truly, through such perseverance are the most powerful warriors born...

Once upon a time buried deep in the heart of the Rocky mountains their lived a hairy chested warrior prince by the name of Krik Thurow. He was one of the most powerful cowboys of the High King, yet he seldom had to leave his rock fortress to battle.  You see some are under the erroneous belief that you must stand in the courtyard of the King at all times to serve Him. But those who truly know the King know that regardless of where you stand, whether upon the stone floor of the King’s castle or the dirt and boulders of his mountains, your praise ushers you into his presence.  

As legend would have it the prince was born in the rich black soil of the plains and his hand was blessed with the touch of music and animals.  While his feet were blessed with the magic of the black and white ball.  

There are few men born with such single minded passion and purpose as as this warrior cowboy.  Or with as gentle a heart or jovial a spirit.  He could fly into a rage over injustice... but nothing was quite as magnificent as his morning singing.  Regardless of the duties of the day he would always take time to stop and worship His King.  For that he was more admired and respected than perhaps any other cowboy of his era.

Even though he was surrounded by the grandeur of the Rockies and serving the king with what he loved best...cows.....His heart was not quite satisfied.  Deep inside it had always longed for something more...for a good woman to walk through life with who could also keep his hairy belly satisfied. 

Lets be honest,... cows make poor bed fellows...and even worse cooks

Now many were the women who tried to catch his attention and he was always kind and respectful.  But the young prince had vowed early on to not give any part of his heart to any woman he had no intention of marrying.  In so doing much female drama was avoided. (not counting the young girls who threw themselves at him, mistaking his kindness as romance and broke their hearts not on his cruelty...but on his naivety.)

Many would say “KRIK!  how will you ever find love!  You are hidden way up here in the mountains!” But he just knew that the High King would bring him the perfect woman in his perfect time.  One by one many of his best friends, siblings and cousins fell in love, married and started creating children, and more children and more children and ,,, well you get the idea...small cities could probably be created from their proliferating numbers! And yet for the prince who had longed for a family since his youth his princess remained ever elusive. 

Often the dark and evil demons of loneliness and despair would rise up with traps for him to fall into.  They would tackle him and beat him to the ground.  There were even moments when they held him in their castle.  Each time he was captured, sometimes not right away, he would sing praises to His High King and as he did his shackles would fall off, their swords would turn into blessing sticks and they would have to flee to try and regroup their attack against him.  Year after year he stood.  Caring for the land and people the King had set before Him.  And year after year He would pray for his  Princess to come.  But year after year his prayers would disappear with no results.   

Luckily he was not alone in his battle with singleness.  The Lord had set around him others who helped him fight on, lifted his spirit and occasionally fixed him meals....

Many a time he could be seen leading the King’s soldiers into battle, lonely and longing to have a partner to join with him in his heart passion, little knowing he was actually fighting for his princess, fighting with the High King to bring her from sandy ocean shores miles and miles away, to his rugged mountain fortress.  

Chapter 2

∏Far Far away, in a land where cowboys and cows are only the stuff of legend and movie sets, and people fly in metal beasts instead of on the back of horses there lived a family who was set apart.  They were led by a fearless Sheriff and his warrior wife who knew that cowboys were not just the stuff of legend.  The High King had blessed them with two beautiful princesses and a son.  Their oldest was with the magic of playing ball and a rare love for horses...and cows ;-).  They taught their children the ways of worship and the power of praise.

Legend has it that in her youngest days Princess Jenn’s spirit of adventure led her to drive her own pink beast to the training school...her blonde hair flying in the breeze of her Barbie corvette.  While her Grandpa made sure she and her sister stayed on the sidewalk.  

Around that time her warrior parent’s began battling along side the High King to prepare spouses for princess Jenn and her siblings.  As well as fighting many wars against the enemy.   The enemy began a full scale attack against princess Jenn’s family.  Of course he was defeated because his demise already was.

As princess Jenn grew, romance was not really on the radar, unless it was to a tall muscular blonde hair blue eyed basketball player who did not exist.  Which thanks to the High King was not about to happen so princess Jenn’s heart was kept safe.  

She was far to practical for girly romance anyway there were things she needed to do, mountains to conquer and people to save.  Romance and marriage were not in her plans.  Serving the King and using the gifts He had given her with the magic of the orange ball and helping others were far more important than worrying about falling in love.  

Princess Jenn grew in beauty and grace. Many were the hearts and lives she helped along side the High King.  Again the enemy launched a full scale attack against her family and again they were shielded.  

Knowing her family was safe in the King’s hand princess Jenn set out on a mission with the King and her fighting partner, princess Kristen from the training castle of Biola.  Their mission was to train on the front lines and establish a fortress to help rescue and rehabilitate children caught and tortured by the enemy.  In their fortress they would use Cows and horses to help the children find life and freedom.  Now ...where to find cows...

  

Chapter 3

∏

From the darkness, rang the sound of a warriors cry and the clang of steel on steel against enemies seen only in the night.  

“Fiend, beast, wench!! RAAAAAWRRRR!!!  

“Take that!! “

“ PREPARE TO DIE!!”

“NEVER!!” came the answering reply as light from the rising dawn faintly illuminated the metal tines of dueling pitchforks held by two princes, one blonde and one brown haired...    The Cowboy Warrior Krik grinned in triumph at his blonde haired cousin as he thrust his pitchfork, pinning prince Cade to the hay with a ninja flip.  

The cows mooed cheers for their favorite warriors as hay flew willy nilly and the knight Morgan, driving the tractor, yelled at the boys to hurry up so they could eat breakfast. 

Standing above the meadow where the boys fed the cattle stood a castle. In one glowing window their dark haired cousin the Warrior of Azure Wisdom could be seen singing along with their shape shifter cousin Keah as they made breakfast.  In another window Friar Kurt, medical jack of all trades could be faintly heard preparing the instruments for battle practice.  The cowboys hurried inside to join them. 

A gentle fog hovered above the mountain meadow they had just left.  Everything  was still ...waiting. Then like the first stroke of a painter’s brush one golden ray swept from behind a jagged mountain peak and at that moment a perfect note from a high birds beak pierced the air and trilled the world to life. A symphony of exploding sound and color .  Followed by ...the gentle strum of a  guitar string. A deep mellow note.  Hope in a song .  For a moment the whole world paused as if something more magnificent than the grandeur of nature was about to happen... Then it did...two princesses arrived at the castle to partake in the morning worship..  Praises to the king on high and it didn’t disturb the beauty,  rather it sparked it to even greater life.   Beauty and sound ricocheting  from mountain peak to peak like a million dazzling fireworks exploding against a night sky only ...only this worship was more dazzling.    

And so the warriors began their daily battle.

Princess Jenn watched the brown haired squirrley cowboy’s rippling muscles strum the guitar and she thought “Wow he is pretty good! ...and pretty cute... He would be so perfect for Kristen.”  While the cowboy prince blindly looked up at the beautiful blonde haired princess Jenn and smiled praying “Lord, who is my wife?  Please bring her soon.”  

Then they all went out fencing...cause that is what Cowboy warriors do.  

Chapter 4

∏

It is difficult, nearly impossible for  anyone, even the toughest, hairiest, most talented Cowboy warrior...to withstand the charms of two single and beautiful princesses.  Especially having lived for so long with only the beauty of cows to look at.  The cowboy warrior kept asking the King for discernment and over and over Krik was drawn to Jenn Especially seeing her fighting along side the High King with such grounded discipline.  Beauty is always at its most glorious in service to the King.  

It was not long before Krik found himself having strange dreams of a beautiful blonde princess and...kissing.  Which of course he would never do, and had never done.  But still the idea of Kissing Jenn did not seem like a bad idea.

 Jenn could match him in physical fitness and magic flowed whenever she possessed a ball ...especially basketballs.  The animals loved her and he just enjoyed being with her. There was something about her ...When he was with her he was just ...happy. And yet he had been alone so long he didn’t know what to do.

That winter the High King sent the Princess Jenn and her family on a covert mission that involved sunshine, water, and sandy beaches...need I say more?  With her absence prince Krik found his heart missing her more and more and he found his fingers sending her messages at every opportunity.  Princess Jenn who had been adamant that this man was not for her, since he was not tall and blonde ...oddly enough found herself excited and looking forward to any messages the cowboy warrior might send her.  

When the cowboy saw Jenn on her return the world stood still for just a moment....and his heart skipped a beat.  Let’s just say it was ‘Divine Revelation’ .  The High King had brought her!

Love can make the strongest warrior tremble in terror.  This hairy cowboy warrior had faced huge beasts barreling down on him with drool and snot flying.   That fear was nothing compared to the terror that filled him at the idea of sharing his heart.  Yet he knew that if anyone would treat him with care it would be her..  .  

Faced with the moment of truth, to step out of singleness or stay he did the obvious thing and decided to avoid her.  

Luckily his good friend and cousin the Warrior of Azure Wisdom.. a.k.a princess Jodi. snapped him out of this decision.  Princess Jodi thought of how when Krik was with Jenn he just glowed with happiness, almost like a pregnant woman...but different...obviously.  So she advised him to Take advantage of the opportunity to be alone with princess Jenn. Before the battle Creek fortress filled with people again.

The next day, after worship, Krik took full advantage of his alone time with Jenn and they ventured out into the snowy mountains to log trees.  For some reason both felt a little excited and a little awkward. Cowboy Krik said, “I think I like you.”   and I don’t know what to do about it...”  and then he got stuck... I mean literally got stuck in the snow.  after getting unstuck he said“Do you think you could like me as more than a friend...”  and then he got stuck in the snow again.. “Most importantly...I will be wearing jeans when I get married and if you are not ok with that then we shouldn’t go any farther.”  Princess Jenn said she would be willing to compromise on jeans for their wedding.  At which point Jenn brought up that  Krik’s plan to wait until he was engaged to have his first kiss would not work for her.  Prince Krik promply agreed that he would be willing to compromise And then he just sort of mentally blacked out...the Mighty warrior had never been more terrified.  

Princess Jenn didn’t know what to think.  He was not what she had expected, but she was drawn to him, something kept fluttering in her heart.  The next day they had their first of many romantic dates....to sale barns...where they looked at ...cows....

That night The warrior cowboy humbly laid out his life and heart before the princess, all he had done in his life, the good and the bad.  And with all the tenderness of a High King’s daughter she gently took his heart and let him know that she was in no way disappointed him.  By the End of the week Krik knew he wanted to marry her.  She on the other hand, thought a couple of days might be to soon to choose a marriage partner. 

So she took him to meet the Sheriff, and had him as a date to her sister’s wedding.  And she asked God and wondered and waited.  And all the While the Cowboy Warrior just grinned because He knew it was coming.  Then one day as they were out horse back riding with her family, back in the Rockies, she looked around her and she just knew...This was the man she was to marry.  

One day the two warriors found themselves horseback riding into a beautiful spot in the rugged Rockies.  It happened to be the same spot where they had each shared their first kiss.  The High King had helped them save their first kisses for one another.  The warrior cowboy got off his horse in that most sacred place and after years of waiting he bent to one knee and placed his heart in a diamond ring on the finger of the princess of his dreams.  A woman who was not only beautiful but whose friendship and companionship filled his life with more blessing than the warrior cowboy could ever imagine.  

Finally he understood that the years of waiting were worth it. Th High King had saved them for one another.  The warrior cowboy finally understood that God’s timing is Perfect, His plan for each of us is perfect, and the Blessing of waiting on His timing to bring the right one for you is beyond and more than one could ever imagine.  \

And so to my little brother Krik and his golden princess I say Well Done, Good and Faithful servants.  May your lives always be marked with worship and praise.  May you grow softer and more loving and gracious each and every day.  May you continue to love well the people God sets around you and faithfully serve in each task set before you.  May you always take time to sit and enjoy a good meal, a card game and the beauty of your surroundings.  May you laugh often and be surrounded by children who will carry on your legacy of the power of worship and the strength and blessing that comes as we wait on the Lord.  I love you.

God Bless you.