My Hero

What is this obsession with vampires and superheroes? 

I must make a confession; I have fallen for the romantic story of Edward and Bella.  And yes, I’ve wished I had a transformer to call my own.  I mean, Bumblebee is so cute.  (Also, I think I may be the only one who finds these transformers to be cute…)  And who wouldn’t want an old-fashioned charmer like Edward, with his mythical appeal and perfect protective instincts?  I laugh when I find myself getting wrapped up in this supernatural world that our culture seems to be thriving off of lately.  I can’t help but think it is because our human nature is so curious of the unknown, the paranormal and mystical, something beyond ourselves.  We also have this desire to see genuine good triumph over evil, to be loved and protected in a way that is otherworldly.  At least that is how I know I am made.  There is just something so intriguing about the mysterious. 

There is this song ‘Extraterrestrial’ out right now by Katy Perry.  It has a nice beat and I like it for that because it’s a nice song to work-out to.  But when I really listen to the words, these lyrics fascinate me: You’re from a whole other world, a different dimension, you open my eyes, and I’m ready to go lead me in to the light… you’re so supersonic, wanna feel your powers stun me with your laser, your kiss is cosmic, every move is magic…you’re an alien, your touch so foreign, it’s supernatural, extra-terrestrial.  While this song is interesting to say the least, it shows me just one more thing that we as humans long for.  A relationship that is extraordinary, unusual, like nothing of this world.  But when we try to find it in another human, we’re just setting ourselves up for disillusionment. 

I write from experience, and I can only share what I’ve learned.  I have had myself convinced that I could find such a love.  I know I am not the only one who has.  And when, for a moment, I think I’ve found it, I get blinded by the intensity of my feelings, and I find myself worshipping and idolizing my relationship, or that person.  Whoa.  It took me so long to realize that I was putting relationships above the Lord in my life.  Where am I when I am idolizing something that will eventually fail in me some way?  Back to zero.  Back to disappointment.  Back to discontentment.  Back to unhappiness.  Back to emptiness.  There is only one relationship worthy of consuming me, worthy of my worship - my relationship with the Lord.

I want my hero.  I need someone to save me from myself.  I want someone to protect me when I am weak.  I want to feel desired and pursued.  I want someone to know everything about me, every selfish motive, every ugly place in my heart, and love me no matter what.  I want somebody to be there for me always.  I want someone to turn my sorrow into joy.  And what is great is that I don’t have to long for a world of transformers or vampires, I don’t have to create a fake world to fantasize about, I don’t have to try to make people into something they are not.  Because I have a Hero.  THE Hero.  My Saving Grace and Redeemer.  Someone who is better than anything I could imagine in this life.  He comes in and saves the day.  He triumphs over evil every time.  He is the ultimate protector.  He is the great romance that my heart dreams of.  This world fades away when I think about my Father and the love that He lavishes on me each day.  There is not a minute that He forgets about me.  There is not a moment where He will not fight for me.  He can count all the hairs on my head and He died for me, so that we can be together forever.  Each one of us was designed to be captivated by the mystery of His love.

Every word of God is flawless...Proverbs 30:5

O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Deuteronomy 3:24

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19

But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire… Deuteronomy 9:3

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. Deuteronomy 10:17

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!' Deuteronomy 33:27

For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?  It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. 2 Samuel 22:32-34

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. Psalms 54:4

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalms 84:11-12

Infinitely Important

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.  C.S. Lewis

I cannot get this quote out of my mind.  It just looms in the back of my brain, and I find myself listening to its quiet truth at random times throughout the day.  I know so many people who think that Christianity is moderately important.  That it is nice to have the Christian values, that Jesus was a good moral teacher, that the mention of His name or teachings enhances their life in this way or that.  They just kind of treat the idea of Jesus as a passing thought. 

I think the truth of this quote has had a haunting effect on me, probably because I used to be this person thriving on the moderation of Jesus in my life.  I thought that if I went to church most Sundays or tried to be a good person, and claimed to be a Christian, that my life could benefit from that…right?  Here is the thing.  When I tried to be a “good” person, I found myself making selfish decisions still.  When I went to church I found myself sitting numbly and tuning out the message.  Now, what is beneficial about that?  What is life-giving about that?  Jesus cannot be a small addition to this life I think that I own.  It’s just not who He is.  I don’t own my life, and the One who does wants all of me.  He doesn’t half love me.  He loves me insurmountably.  And you cannot ignore that love.     

I think about our calendar, and how we are living in A.D.  Our whole calendar for this life is centered on the person of Jesus.  I think about all the witnesses to His death and resurrection.  I think of His apostles who were martyred for their unwavering belief that Jesus is Lord.  Jesus claimed to be the Son of God.  He physically healed people, cast out demons, and forgave people of their sins, healing their hearts.  He has authority over the physical world and over the spiritual world.  All of this is documented by multiple people, and the very people who were closest to Jesus died for their unwavering belief in His truth.   

What He said about Himself was either true or false.  Either he was a crazy liar, or he was telling the truth.  There is no sugar coated in-between.  There is no happy medium.  There is nothing semi-important about what He said.  You can’t simply think that Jesus was a good moral teacher and leave it at that.  He tells people to leave EVERYTHING and follow Him.  Everything.  Jobs, friends, family, comfortable and familiar living.  He doesn’t tell people 'oh hey, listen to what I teach but only apply it sometimes,' or 'you can get by without me if you think your way is better.' 

My church has been walking through the book of Luke doing a series called ‘Who was this Man?’  I know that the Lord has led me to this church to hear this teaching of His word.  Each and every time I am left asking myself hard questions.  Asking myself if my life reflects my belief in Jesus as my Savior, as my everything, as the ONLY thing that is important.  I don’t want to sit on the side lines so to speak, I want to run the race towards Jesus.  I have to ask myself if I truly believe in what He says, what He teaches, and what He did for me.  If I believe that is true, it requires a response in my life and in my heart.  I could reject it… or, I can let it fill the aches of this life, let it complete my soul where something so big was missing, let His sacrifice define me.  When you let Jesus into your heart, into the deepest, darkest parts of your soul, when you trust Him to be the very thing that sustains you, there is nothing like it.  He wants all of me.  He is jealous for me.  Not just part of my life.  He doesn’t want to be an addition to the life I already have planned out.  He wants me to surrender all of my plans and all of my burdens to Him.   I don’t know what each day will bring me.  But if I know that my God loves me, that no matter what He will uphold me and protect me, my heart is at peace.  

I’ve realized that I wasn’t living, until I came to know the grace of my Father, His unshakable, unfailing love.  I just can’t get over it.  His love will NEVER fail me.  Never.  It goes against everything that I’ve learned in this world.  I have put a lot of my hope in relationships - boyfriends, friendships, family, my husband.  But all of these people are human.  And therefore, it is impossible for them to give me what I need if I put all of my trust or hope in them.  I have learned time and time again, painfully and bitterly at times, that none of them can ease this ache in my heart.  The whole time, the Lord was quietly whispering, I am all you need.  Give me your heart and I will show you a love that you have never known.  I was never truly living when I tried to hide from the Lord, cover up my sin, think that I could find the satisfaction I was searching for on my own terms.  Only until the truth of Jesus wore down my soul, only when I cried out for God to step in and save me, did I finally surrender and begin this beautiful romance.  I don’t ever want to turn back. 

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Don’t miss this: Jesus is infinitely important.  You do not want to overlook His joy and faithfulness in this life.  And He is our only hope in the life to come.