Seven Rules of Spiritual Warfare for Justice Workers

the Rev’d Canon Elizabeth Kaeton

 

I suppose it happens to the best of us.  We forget that Jesus said, “The poor will always be with you.”  As long as human beings are human beings, the struggle will always be before us.  Someone will always be “in” and someone will always be “out”.  If someone is to “win”, someone else must “loose”. And, while we know this to be true, we often loose sight of that truth in the midst of the work.

 

We who work on the front lines of justice sometimes find ourselves on ‘the road less traveled’. Often we find ourselves traveling a road which seems strangely, vaguely familiar.  We thought we were finally on the right path.  No detours, this time.  No forks in the road.  No confusing choices to make.  No wrong turns.  Not this time.  No sireebob!

 

Then, suddenly, we find ourselves in a situation, one we’ve been in many times before.  We think we are prepared.  We think we know what we are doing.  We’ve ‘been there, done that’.  And, before we know or understand exactly what is happening, we find that the high road on which we were standing has suddenly vanished from beneath our feet and we are back on that same bumpy dirt road where we first began.

 

When this recently happened to me, I was devastated.  Simply devastated.  I went to my beloved Bishop, Jack Spong, the wise, retiring veteran of more spiritual battles than I’ll probably ever know in my life time.  He listened carefully as I moaned, “I’m smarter than that!  I should have known better!  It was ‘DejaLambeth’ all over again!  I know better than to get myself into that situation!”

 

“Well,” he said, “if you really want to beat yourself up, I suppose I can’t stop you.”  Then, he smiled kindly and said, “I think you should rejoice and celebrate what you can.  Learn the lessons you need to learn.  And, let go of all the rest.”

 

He reminded me of some advice I once got from another of my heroes in the justice movement, Kip Tiernan, who founded Rosie’s Place in Boston, MA.   Kip once said, “When you stand in solidarity with the poor, you often take on the crushing burden of disappointment and betrayal. You can’t let it stop you. At some point you’ve just got to wipe your tears, blow your nose, pick up your socks, and get on with it.”

 

As I considered these words of wisdom from both of these spiritual giants in my life, I realized that while I could begin to name the things in which I could rejoice and celebrate, I couldn’t “let go of the rest” until I had begun to name the lessons I had learned.

 

That exercise led to writing down all of the spiritual lessons I had been gifted with over the years from so many of my spiritual mentors and guides.  I found that in writing them down and putting them together, I was finally able to take the next step and  “let go of all the rest.”  The result is this list of “Seven Rules of Spiritual Warfare”.  I know.  I don’t much like the militaristic imagery either.  However, the simple truth is this: working for justice often means working against evil, and that, my friends, places us in nothing less than a  spiritual battleground.  Oh, it is holy ground.  But it is war nonetheless.  To make that mistake is to perish at your own hands.  Remember Jesus said, “So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

 

I offer this to my sisters and brothers on the front lines of justice work everywhere: in crowded, decaying urban arenas and bucolic rural poverty; to people working with people with AIDS, prostitutes, junkies, fallen down drunks, pregnant teens, battered wives and abused children, with gay men, lesbian women, bisexual and transgender people; to those who stand in solidarity with those who stand in welfare and unemployment lines, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, immigration centers, as well as those who languish in detention centers, juvenile halls and prisons; and to those who actively work to change the system, to educate and enlighten, to inspire and challenge, that there may be long term, systemic change for al of God’s children.

 

As Bishop Barbara Harris, another cherished veteran of spiritual battle, is fond of saying, “A luta continua.”  The struggle continues.  I offer this as spiritual food for the journey.

Seven Rules of Spiritual Warfare

the Rev’d Canon Elizabeth Kaeton

 

1.  Be clear about the battle.

What are you really fighting about? 

Define the central issue.

What are you really fighting for? 

What values or principles are involved?

Is this a battle for which you want to shed blood?

Are you falling on your own sword?

What are you willing to die for?

What gives you life?

 

2.  Get a map.

Know your issue:

Do you have all the facts? 

Are you certain of their sources and their truth?

Have you been in this “place”, this situation before?

What did you learn the last time you were here?

What lessons do you still need to learn?

What opportunity for learning does this situation present you?

Develop and agree upon an agenda before the meeting. Especially if it takes place in adversarial or enemy territory.

What scriptural citations can you give to your concern?

What Jesus parable are you living out of or into?

What historical precedence can you cite?

Are there any contemporary ecumenical decisions which parallel yours?

 

3.  Keep your weapons ready and available.

Pray without ceasing. Individually and corporately. In your own way.

The most earnest prayer to start the day: “Whatever.”

The most earnest prayer to end the day: “Oh, well.”

Pray for your allies, adversaries and your enemies. Remember the rule of the cosmos:  “That which we reject, we become.”

Develop a discipline for participation in a weekly Bible study group.

Make the time for daily reflection and meditation on the questions:

Where did I see the hand of God at work today?

Where did I see the face of Jesus today?

Where did I sense the movement of the Holy Spirit today?

 WARNING: If you find yourself calling someone else a ‘jerk’ (or worse!) more than three times in one day, take a moment to do some self-inventory.

Dedicate a time daily to develop, improve or enjoy humor.

Learn to appreciate a sense of the absurd.

Learn to laugh from the center of your body. 

Really let ‘er rip every now and again.

Learn to laugh at your self.

Learn to laugh at evil.

Laughter is the faithful prayer of a true believer in God.

Watch a funny movie. Anything by Monty Python, The Three Stooges or re-runs of I Love Lucy is especially recommended.                       

Allow yourself to cry. 

Tears help wash away the toxins which have built up in your body.

Anticipate arguments and develop an arsenal of potential answers.

Remember that anger is a secondary emotion.

It is morally neutral.  It has a positive and negative power. Use it for good.

Reconciliation, ultimately, is about acceptance “Just As I Am . . .” and, ‘they’ are.

 

4.  Know your troops.

Never forget: A leader without a following is just a person out for a walk.

Remember: the world is not held together by atoms, but by stories.

Share your story with your troops.  Listen to their stories.

Never forget: relationships heal.

Be able to identify your allies as well as your adversaries or enemies.

Develop supportive networks of collaboration with allies.                                

Take every opportunity to stand in visible solidarity with allies.

Remember: there are individuals and there are groups.  Each have their own personality, which is not necessarily the same.  Individuals behave differently in groups.

DO NO HARM TO YOUR ENEMIES: Remember, you never make yourself look good by making someone else look bad.

 

5.  Stay in shape.

Pay attention to what you eat: try to eat fresh vegetables and fruit in greater amounts than meat and starches and avoid fatty, heavily fried foods.

Get some rest.  If your work day is particularly long, try to work in a nap or “down time.”

Get some sleep.  Regularly.

Take a walk.  Use it as your time to pray/meditate/think/zone out. Whatever!

Learn to think outside of your own box.

Develop friendships with people who have absolutely no interest in your passion.  You may not discuss your work in any great detail with them. 

Develop a hobby which has absolutely nothing to do with your passion. 

Be amazed how working on something which is completely unrelated and talking with someone who has no idea or interest in what you do for a living will free up creative energy and intensify your passion for your work. Remember The Karate Kid: “Wax on, Wax off.”

Get a therapist. 

Get a spiritual director. 

In difficult times, get both.  Visit them often.

Create a non-violent, ‘safety zone’ for yourself and go there often.

Suggestions:            A local coffee shop with a quiet table in the corner

Riding in your car, crank up the volume on the radio and sing along with your favorite oldies at the top of your lungs.

Watch the dolphins dance on the shifting tide.

Remember: a frenetically busy schedule is it’s own form of violence

“Let peace begin with me.  Let me not be a vehicle of my own oppression or the oppression of others.”

 

 

 

 

 

6.  Have an escape route.

Remember the scouting rule: Be prepared.

Decide on your desired outcome of an encounter with your adversary.

Identify members of the group.  Learn their names and their story. 

Do a quick tally of the way a vote might go. 

Determine the worst and best case scenario.

Do not let an issue come to a vote unless you know you can win.

Remember: desperate people in desperate times do desperate things.

This includes you!

If you find yourself in the midst of a decision making process and your are

Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired = HALT!

Decide if you can loose a battle in order to win the war.

Never venture into adversarial or enemy territory without preparation for ambush.

Never venture into enemy, adversarial or foreign territory alone.

Never venture into enemy, adversarial or foreign territory as “the only one of your kind”: gender, race, sexuality, status, physical ability, political affiliation or position, etc.

Develop a strategy to get yourself out of dangerous situations ahead of time.

Develop a strategy for ‘the best spin’ to put on the worst case scenario.

Ask yourself: What can God put to better use: my presence or my absence?

Remind yourself: The most subversive, revolutionary thing one can do is to show up for one’s life and not be ashamed.

If you want to be a leader in Christian community, you must find that place in you that wants desperately to be liked or loved, and let it die.

Remember: You don’t always get what you want.  You don’t always get what you need. You get what you get.  Your job is to make the best of what you’ve been given.

Celebrate what you can, learn the lessons you need to learn, let go of the rest.

Wipe off your tears, blow your nose, pick up your socks and get on with it.

 

7.  Get a Theme Song.

Find a tune you can whistle or hum when the going gets rough, when the burden of disappointment or the hardship of betrayal becomes more than you can bear, or when you sense you are in danger and need to remember why you started this in the first place.

Some suggestions: “Jesus Loves Me This I Know.”  “O How I Love Jesus” 

“Amazing Grace”.  “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”

“Lead Me To Calvary” “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus” “Just As I Am”

Or any of the Taize Chants or Rounds and Canons from the 1982 Hymnal