Last weekend, my family watched a show set at the start of WWII. One of the leaders, a young officer in a British infantry unit, made a poor decision (and then another one… and another one). As a Christian and a longstanding student of leadership, from the comfort of my couch I voiced a snide comment about his leadership and decision-making. My better half looked at me straight on and said, “Remember the fog of war.”
Coined by a Prussian military genius in the 19th century, the “fog of war” refers to the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by leaders and participants in military operations. It intends to describe the lack of situational clarity that can overtake a person in the moment of a battle or campaign, and the decision-making “fog” that results.
As I lay in bed thinking about the show and that young leader, it reminded me that many of us are experiencing our own “fog of war.” COVID-19 is creating the need for national and state governmental and medical leaders to make decisions that impact the overall fight against this viral opponent. For those of us doing our part in the war effort on the home front, we have our own fog. Whether leading in the church or in the home, I hear weekly from pastors and leaders who are doing their best to lead their congregations, make resources available online, reach out to people with care, ask questions of other leaders without getting answers, and try to create “plans” that can adapt as timelines and requirements change.
Similarly, several members of my own team are in the trenches trying to balance and rebalance family life with both parents attempting to work from home. They are overseeing school lessons they don’t understand, and coordinating a family Zoom calendar for multiple client calls and multiple children who all need a computer to connect with their teacher and class.
After only five weeks, the fatigue and confusion about how long this might last are taking a toll. Like me, it’s easy to forget others are doing what they believe is best in the moment. I bet you are too. Many decisions made during this challenging season will be imperfect or wrong because they are being made by fallible humans in the fog of war. We are at the mercy of our humanity. When the Apostle Paul asked God to take away the thing that plagued him, 2 Corinthians 12:9 he records God’s answer. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
When this is all over, we will armchair quarterback the decisions we made during this pandemic like it was the Super Bowl. But in this moment when we are all living in the fog of war, remember to give yourself and others a measure of grace. Each of us will have moments when we will be like that young, inexperienced British officer who, in the wisdom of hindsight, was making all the wrong decisions. Remember that God’s grace is sufficient for this too. We may blunder in the battle, but in the end, we will win the war.
Written by Nancy Moore, president of NL Moore & Associates