In my reading challenge, it was suggested to read a book targeted towards the opposite gender. I looked on line and googled “top ten books for men” and conquering the world, excelling in the work place, and how to be a great leader and have people adore me wasn’t at all interesting to me, so I decided to broaden my search. Towards the end of some other google searches I did see Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”. I also noticed that it is a rather short book and this sealed the deal for me. I read it in about an hour and I did find it a bit interesting and, oddly, very applicable to my life!

My husband had to read this book while he was at West Point and one night I decided to share with him what I thought of the book. He was walking about the house and I approached him and told him that I had just read Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”. Like never, he was interested in what I had to say.  I shared with him about how nurturing and caring, but firm these generals had to be towards their soldiers and how that benefited the outcome of war and morale. I shared how knowing the strengths and weakness of not only your opponent but also yourself was imperative in success. Finances and budgeting were essential considerations in war and that there was so much pain and hurt that could be prevented if steps were taken before any actual fighting had to take place. I told him that I could really apply a lot of this wisdom to our family and ministries. I went on and on about war strategy and planning. About how courage is most contagious when we are not afraid of death. How to chose and pick fights and discerning what is worth fighting for is key to success in battle. And he listened to every bit and at the end of it all, all he could say was “I love you so much” LOL Was that a tear I saw? Just kidding. But he was struck by my interest in something he is also interested in, and I am grateful that I did stretch my reading genre quiet a bit and learned some things.

This is how I felt after talking battle strategy regarding our 6 kids:

Here are some quotes from the book I found I could use when dealing with my kids, my home and spiritual warfare. You can easily apply these to most life situations!

“He who makes light of his opponents, he is sure to be captured by them.”

“If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive and if submissive, will be practically useless. And if soldiers have grown attached to you and are not punished, they will still be useless.”

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

In the midst of chaos, there is opportunity.

There is no instance from a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.

I recommend this book to young men or to women who have husbands who are or where in the military or police force. Then I advise you to talk to them about it. They will see you with different eyes and love you at a different level, trust me.