Being a Shield Maiden:

I think about war a lot. It comes with the territory. I watch/read the news and am always trying to gauge the hostilities. Because where there is war, there is a place my husband could go.

There is a different kind of war going on all around us. 

"For we  wrestle not  against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Ephesians 6:12

Those words are part of my favorite passage of scripture. If you have been following along, you already read my post about forging my sword of truth. Now I want to discuss another point mentioned in this passage.

In Scandinavian folklore, the shield maiden was a woman who had been chosen to fight as a warrior.

In this wrestle we face today, women are not left out of the call to fight. We've all been called to be shield maidens or rather women of faith.

I am so not perfect in this. Last week was a ROUGH week for us. I like the security in knowing what the future holds. But life doesn't cater to this usually, especially in the military. Suffice it to say our plans that we have been working on for so.many.years just got thrown for a loop. And I panicked. I mourned for the future we had planned on and sacrificed so much for. I was confused and hurt. I questioned. It was not my proudest day. But what this did was give me a clear view of myself. Where was my trust and confidence when the world seemed to crumble around me? Where was my strength?  Where was my Shield of Faith?

I had to really take a step back and check myself. This wasn't ok. I needed to repent and move forward. When I find myself lacking in an area I start to research like crazy. Thankfully I didn't have to look far to discover what it takes to be a shield maiden.

 In her talk called "A Woman of Faith", Margaret Nadauld outlined the qualities us women should have:

"The Latter-day Saint woman who follows Christ is a true Christian in the very best sense of the word. She is a woman of faith who trusts God and is confident and fearless...A woman of faith trusts God and faces adversity with hope...A woman of faith is confident because she understands the divine plan of our Heavenly Father and her role to bless lives. She is confident that any sacrifice she makes is worth something in an eternal sense. She knows about sacrifice from knowing of the life of the Savior. She knows that her sacrifices may be small by comparison, but she knows that Heavenly Father understands and values what she does to strengthen her home and her family and the world in which she lives...A woman of faith is fearless. She fears no evil, for God is with her... There is no ambiguity, no uncertain trump in her life...She is less than perfect, of course, not because she doesn’t have perfect principles or the perfect example in Christ, but because she is human...She knows that He loves her even though she is imperfect and still trying to be better. She knows that when she does her very best, that it is enough..."

So now I am choosing to trust that everything will work out. I am taking that leap of faith and trusting that God knows where my feet will land. I'm letting go of what I wanted and gaining confidence that he knows what is best for me and my family. 

(Image Source)