The Unfallen Hero

Have you ever had a hero fall? It may have been someone close to you: a parent, spouse, pastor or teacher. It may have been someone far off and untouchable. The fall may have been moral or ethical; they may have died or merely disappointed your expectations.

If you have a full life, you'll see your heroes fall. Similar to nature's testimony of God's character, this common occurrence should reveal to everyone the truth that we all "have sinned and continue to fall short of God's glory."

What initiated this pondering was a post on Tim Challies' blog about one of my heroes (dead before I was born, which usually makes them less likely to disappoint). Challies brought up discrepancies raised by scholars over some of my hero's beliefs and a discussion started about whether the difference matters, since we've learn so much from him still.

The man, the discussion are a moot point here. What matters is that I struggled with the fallen image, true or not. I had thought the inspiration I had gained went beyond him, but when I was disappointed I realized just how focused on him it was.

As I wrestled with all this, another insight arose. It's good to be disillusioned! Everyone should be.

Once your star has fallen, you notice a brighter light in the night sky. Every time an image tumbles, I look up and God is still there.

What about you? Have you been disappointed by someone? Do you hold bitterness towards them or towards God because of their failure? Maybe you were clinging too much to a person, a sinner just like you.

The grace we have received, we also must give. . . even to our fallen heroes. Compare their faded light and your flickering light against the blinding light of God's faithfulness and love. You and I disappoint Him, but He never lets go.

. . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1b-3)

A Story

An Author once imagined a beautiful story. He planned for it to be a comedy in the original sense of the word—a story ending in a feast or wedding. Another way of stating it—a story filled with joy.

This Author wasn't like other writers. He wanted to interact with His characters. He wanted them to participate in His story, so He wrote in a "will" (the ability to determine to obey or not to obey) for each of them.

The gift of the will caused great rejoicing. Instead of being robots and performing their part of the story without a say, they could interact with the Author, ask questions, share ideas—have a relationship.

This freedom included only one "do not." In order to exercise their will, they could do anything in the created world of the Author except ONE thing. They had castles they could build and explore; mountains they could climb. They built homes of the very best quality, and the Author enjoyed their work and their delight. There was one door, however, that He told them not to enter. If they did, they would be cut off from the world where they now lived and from Him.

Gradually, the characters moved closer to the door. Why should the Author include a door they could not enter? If all in this story was full of wonder and fun, what might there be on the other side of that door? What if what is there is better than what is here? And so they crept ever closer, tempting themselves by constant watch.

Inevitably, they persuaded themselves to try the door. One by one they all filed through. Although one entered first, the others followed till every one was on the other side. Then...it shut.

They rubbed their eyes. It was pitch blackness. Slowly their eyes began to focus on the barren land ahead of them and the bolted door behind them.

Generations would be born in this dark land. What is the purpose of this story? each and everyone would ask. 

Some exited the story early on, by their choice or another's. Others decided to create their own story. This became quite a game, and soon all the characters had a story. Sometimes they combined their ideas and created a community that followed the same story. When enough decided that the story wasn't going their way, they would branch off and begin their own version.

Some sought to make their story good for others. Their version would bring smiles to those around them. Surly this is what the story was about, after all, making happiness for those around you? But they did not seek to know the Author and learn the story He desired for them.

Sometime in the new story, a lamp was placed in the midst of them. This aggravated most, who had become accustomed to seeing in the dark. The light only blinded them and exposed that they were different than how they had described themselves to those around them. 

Because of this, some tried to hide the light. Others, to snuff it out. Others just ran from it, moving as far away from it as possible till they gained some sort of darkness again.

A handful of characters approached the light. They were curious to see what really existed around them. Here they learned of the Author, forgotten or recreated by the tales of the original characters. They learned He still wanted to use them in His story. If they would accept His light and follow His story, He would eventually take them out of this story into one that would be beyond their dreams. 

Some of the characters accepted the light gladly and went throughout the new world offering to share the light. Some began to pick up the light, but when they read their part of the story, it was too small. They were capable of great things! Why should they give up their own stories for these no-name parts?

Those who fled from the light mocked the carriers of light. If this Author cared for them, why did only a handful have His special light and the knowledge of a place in His story? Why were they promised a new story of "happily ever after"? If He was a real Author, He would make good of the story here.

The Author continued to lead His story to the new ending He had determined for it. Only those who held His light and followed His storyline found joy in it. Those who created their own stories, no matter how good they were, stumbled around in the darkness far from the Author.

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Whose storyline do you follow: your own or the Author's? The ending is determined by your acceptance or rejection of the Light.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I Am the Light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the Light that leads to Life."

Stop. Wait. Listen

Have you ever wondered if you'd be willing to go if God sent you to some remote place to share His salvation? But what if He asked you just to stay where you are? Sometimes it is easier to hear "go" than to obey "stay."

Yes, obeying a call to the unknown is scary. But, at the same time, it can appear glamourous or, at least, full of adventure. Staying...doing the mundane...not so much!

In the book of Jeremiah chapters 41 through 43, the remnant of the Israelites left in Judah feared for their lives. An assassin had attacked the governor that the King of Babylon had set over them. Johanan and some other brave souls rescued the people the assassin had kidnapped and then they prepared their flight to Egypt to avoid the punishment sure to come from Babylon. On their way, they stop by Jeremiah and ask him to inquire of Yahweh what they should do. They promised that whatever He said they would obey.

With their donkeys loaded and their sandals warmed up and raring to run, Yahweh simply told them to stay. If they trusted Him, He would assure them safety.  If they ran, the disaster they feared would pursue them. So what do they do? Run, of course.

Having promised unconditional obedience, they naively suspected that God would affirm their plans. They never dreamed He would instruct them to wait for the hammer they were sure would crush them.

Can you relate? Are you stuck in a prison, an office, a sick body, a home—cooking and cleaning for your family? Do you long for God to give you a great assignment? Have you ever thought, maybe He has?

We have a major disadvantage to previous generations. In the past, making a good living and being a respectable family man or woman was a full and honourable life. Today we expect more. We may not be conscious of it, but we do.

If you preach, you expect to draw multitudes. If you write, you imagine your book on a best sellers list or chatted up on a big talk show. If you're in business, you expect to be sought after and to accumulate money for a comfortable life.

But God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not like ours. God may have you disciple a small group to spiritual maturity and die virtually unknown. He may have you write and never know the impact of His work through you. You may set an example in business and never be recognized for it.

But one of those discipled may go on to share the gospel with thousands, beginning a revival that spreads far and wide for God's glory. Your book may be on the night stand of a dying woman, who reads it and is born again. Your money saved in business may be sent to someone in need, who will be saved from devastation and go on to lead his people.

Or maybe God has other plans for you. Maybe this time is to train you for a calling, which to obey will cost you greatly, but will accomplish more than you can imagine. If you are faithful in the small, mundane areas of life, God will entrust to you far greater responsibility.

We often look for the great and glorious things for ourselves, but God may be glorified more in the small beginnings.

Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. ~Jeremiah 45:5

Only God knows the times in which we live and into what part of the puzzle your life and my life will fit.

Nothing is wasted. The Artist has you here for a purpose. Stop. Wait. Listen.

To Start Anew

The New Year always gives the feeling of a new beginning, doesn't it? This brings the tradition of resolutions, a chance to accomplish this year what we failed to do last.

A couple of interesting truths spring to mind as I think on the year ahead.

One, I'm still the same. The person that I was at the end of 2010 is the person entering into 2011. I have the same strengths, same weaknesses. If I fell for gluttony last year, I won't suddenly be cured this year. If I reacted impatiently when I was tired or stressed last year, I may repeat it again when I'm weary this year. I will not have boundless energy; I will still grow tired. I will not always want to do the good I know I should. I'm still me. You're still you.

What does this mean? When I'm tempted, should I throw up my hands and give in? Of course not. 

Understanding where you are weak can enable you to strategically plan for success instead of leading yourself down a path of temptation. More importantly, however, this truth is intricately tied with the second.

The second truth is God is still the same. Where the knowledge of our sameness may make us feel vulnerable, and we are, the acknowledgment of God being the same is our comfort. 

Jesus, the Messiah, is the same yesterday and today-and forever! ~Hebrews 13:8

Yahweh, the God of the Hebrew Scriptures is the same God who came in flesh as our Messiah, Saviour, Deliverer, Prince of Peace. He is the same God who loved us enough to pay the penalty for our sins. He is the same God who rose from death and lives inside of all who call upon Him in faith.

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ~Colossians 1:27

G. Campbell Morgan, an early Twentieth-Century preacher from Westminster, described "hope" like this:

It does not mean foundationless expectation, but rather confidence in something yet to be, with an accompanying endeavor to reach it.

He goes on to give us a glimpse of that hope—future and present:

Christ in you is the one unanswerable evidence of the ultimate victory. He is always singing the song of the future. He is also always energizing the effort of the present. 

If Jesus lives in me, in you, we not only have hope of future happiness, but the expectation of all that we need today. Not on our own do we succeed, but 

As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to Yahweh our God, till He shows us His mercy . ~Psalm 123:2

Listen to this by Pastor Morgan:

He [God] started the music, and all the world hears it, and yet it never becomes perfectly articulate, perfectly harmonious, until He sings it in the individual life.

If you know Him, you know this. All your friends crave something unreachable. You crave it. I crave it. We've been wanting from the moment of conception. Only when He sings in our hearts do we recognize the voice of Him for whom we long. 

Yes, we often lose sight of Him. We think it's this or that, him or her, that we want. We don't realize the agony of soul we face each time we try to fill our desire with something else. Empty!

This year we can have hope, a hope that energizes us to do the right we long to do—now. As Morgan says,

Christ is in me as hope; not merely in the sense of expectation, but in the sense of endeavor, Christ energizes the present . . . . I am renegade if I sit still and listen to His singing and do not co-operate in His efforts.

This year, all of us will be part of history-making. WE create the 2011 of which future generations will study.

Each life is given at just the right time to do & to be something special & irreplaceable . . . . You and I are lovingly shaped to be the building blocks from which history is created. ~Marion Stroud

You and I were made for today. We have no promise of tomorrow and no hope in yesterday. Today we can have hope in us, through Jesus, and can offer hope to those around us. 

You may have failed yesterday, but today you have Jesus. Today we can begin a history of hope for the next generation.

Christ IN you, the hope of glory!