The Elders are Warriors.

The elephant is defeated. The elders know this to be true, because they know that the Great Spirit said Himself that the battle belongs to Him. The Great Spirit also said that the battle was finished. So, what does this mean? How can the elephant seem so very alive, when in reality it is dead?

The elders are warriors. They were created for battle. The battle has already been won. So where is the battle? The elders must partner with the Great Spirit to see the threat of the elephant brought down. This is where the battle is fought, in the "seeing". Seeing is believing. And the elders cannot yet see the dead elephant. They look.....and their eyes tell them that the elephant is alive and well and lurking and stealing their offspring. But wait. Is this truth, or do their eyes deceive them? We have now discovered the battle ground.

The Great Spirit created the elders to partner with Him. Not because He needs their help. No, the Great Spirit requires no help. The battle is already won! Yet He designed them to participate in the battle. He desires their participation, because out of that partnering their relationship grows. And their need for Him grows as well. Their need for the Great Spirit soon turns into desire. And from that desire their relationship is fulfilled. From that desire the warriors are strengthened.

But....the warriors are often wounded. The battle becomes so intense, and their wounds so bloody, that they need time to rest and heal. Yet even during those times, those healing times, they are always anxious to get back into the battle. It is not enough to just hear that the battle has been won, they want to be a part of the winning, a part of the action! The elders are warriors. And warriors teach others how to fight.

So, even though they know the outcome and they trust in the happy ending to the story, they also are made aware that to believe the elephant is dead is to have their eyes opened to it's deadness. And to become aware is to engage in battle. With every arrow shot, with every attack, the elder-warriors are strengthened. And with every battle, their eyes are being opened. Until one day, they see what has been there all along, a dead elephant! It is a day of feasting! It is a day of declaration! A day of victory! They dance in the clearing, "The elephant is dead! The elephant is dead!!" and it seems that everything has changed, and it seems....for a little while.....like the battle is over.

In reality, the battle has just begun. You see, the elephant was already dead. The elders just couldn't see it. One day, more sooner than later, the elders will be tempted to forget. Their memories of the slyness of the elephant, along with a feeling of impending danger, will rise up in them. They will begin to question if the elephant is truly dead, or if it was all a dream. This is when the battle intensifies. It is most difficult to declare that the elephant is dead when it seems to be so very much alive. It is a challenge to dance the victory dance while faced with the threat of the elephant. Yet this is how warriors do battle.
A true warrior knows that the elephant is already dead. A true warrior spends his life reminding himself and others that the elephant is dead. A true warrior lives in partnership with the Great Spirit. An elder-warrior has been given sight, and no matter how many shadows may look like an elephant, no matter how many times it may sound like an elephant is on the edge of the clearing, a warrior keeps his eyes focused on the Great Spirit, constantly reminding himself and others that the elephant is dead. This is our battle. This is our declaration. We are the elders. The elders are warriors.