Are You Still Carrying the Woman?

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

While you carry your failures and faults, someone else is stepping up to the challenge and beating them. The battles you run from will always be there. They'll all be standing right where you left them. You can carry the defeat they've given you or you can turn right around and go at them again. The first monk took on the situation at hand. The second carried it with him. His battle was with him until he confronted it and stood up to it. The battles in your life are like bullies. They go nowhere until you stand up to them.