A Hero's Journey

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.” 

When most of us think of graduation, we think of kids. Whether it’s kindergarten, high school, or college, the connection with graduation seems inextricably linked to the young. And this makes sense because the thing we think about most with young people is what they are going to do. Who they are going to become. Where they are going to go. There’s so much potential and future, and it’s exciting to consider. The future is where hope dwells, the future is where dreams are possible, it’s where people can become someone, or do something that will greatly bless others. 

We all have futures, and we are always graduating into new opportunities and seasons of life. To think we only have exciting futures when we are young, well, that isn’t from God. (Remember Abraham and Sarah. They had their whole future change around the age of 99!) 

So as you go, whether you are young or old, go boldly and seize every opportunity that comes before you. Why? Because we have a peace in us that is greater than anything we can find in this world, and we can take courage in the fact that no matter what “maybe” our future turns out to be, Christ will be there with us every step of the way. 

Most of these words come from a devotional thought from the Skit Guys, a pair of comedians who share a long-time friendship encouraging people along the journey of life. In our Hero’s Journey, the real test of life happens after we decide to become a bonafide follower of Jesus. 

It seems that, not too long after coming up out of the water, when we feel so relieved, the temptations show up with increased intensity, emotions may feel more polarized than before, and even our convictions can be an obstacle on the Hero’s Journey. 

Remember these words of Paul, at the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is a crown waiting for me. It is given to those who are right with God. The Lord, who judges fairly, will give it to me on the day he returns. He will not give it only to me. He will also give it to all those who are longing for him to return.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

The Hero's Journey

Imagine you’re spending the first days of your summer relaxing by the pool, or working in the flowerbed, or just trying to take it easy, when a stranger approaches you and invites you on a special mission. After the initial “stranger danger” reaction, let’s assume this person is sane and really believes there’s a special prize for whoever finishes this mission. What do you do? It could be risky, it could be expensive, and you might be ridiculed for going on the journey. 

It doesn’t take much imagination to realize that’s kind of the invitation to follow Jesus. While the first invitation may remind you of some kind of action/adventure movie, the invitation to follow Christ is often very tranquil or symbolic in comparison—or so it seems. 

Joseph Campbell wrote a book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he describes the Hero's Journey, a common pattern in nearly every hero story, especially the ones involving a quest. His model starts with the status quo, someone who isn’t looking for change but has a call to adventure. This is where faith begins to take place (Romans 10:17), believing that the quest truly is a worthy one. 

Once the proper gear is obtained and assistance, the hero begins the journey. The cycle continues through departure, trials, facing danger, crisis (James 1:2-4). Although this is only the first half of his model, it makes a great place to stop and think about this pattern in our journey with Christ. Once we’ve come to a sense of contentment, or humility, or genuine love for others, the remainder of the journey should seem to be more rewarding. However, for many people, the journey up to these moments of conflict causes them to abandon the quest. Or as Jesus illustrated in the parable of the soils in Matthew 13, some seed fell on the rocky soil and had no roots, and some fell among the weeds and briars and were choked out by the worries of the world. 

It takes great perseverance and determination to face the giants on this journey. It takes great faith to see beyond the dangers to the prize ahead. As Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” 

On this hero’s quest, there is a clear goal and a clear mission. We’re reminded in Matthew 28:18-20 of the Great Commission. Many other stories and letters reveal the seriousness of the mission, the stakes involved, and the reward for staying with it. This scenario really is true. 

Do you believe it? 

Will you join the quest?

Acknowledgement

Life is filled with challenges—family, faith, work, extracurricular, etc. Nearly every aspect of our life will have the occasional setbacks, fears, disappointments, or unknowns. The question is how will we reflect on those events when they are over? 

After Jesus was betrayed and during His crucifixion, He demonstrated an amazing example of respect even while going through a storm. He said in John 19:25-27, “Woman, here is your son,” and to [John], “Here is your mother.” From that time on, John took her into his home. This was Jesus' way of caring for His mother after He was be gone. 

There have been many people that have helped each of us overcome something bad or to achieve something great. Paul said in Galatians 6:6, “The one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.” 

Frequently, Paul ends his epistles, “instructions in the word,” by acknowledging those who have been a blessing to him by their contribution to his work in some way. Romans 16 is one of the longest lists of those he wanted to thank. Paul gave his greetings to Rufus, who he says is “chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.” (16:13) 

It’s easy to thank our mothers, because they typically are the ones that nurture us, cheer us on, console us, encourage us. Their contribution to our success may be behind the scenes at times, but it’s such a beautiful thing to be able to honor them for what they’ve done for us. 

It may be tempting to skip over the acknowledgments in a book, or to ignore the “thank you's” to people we don’t know in a graduation or an acceptance speech, but each of those names represents someone who made a contribution to getting someone to the point of being recognized as a hero, a survivor, or a success.

As Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians, he takes the time to thank those who made a difference to him. No matter how his letters started, it was part of his discourse to take the time to recognize those who helped him, those who he misses, and the great examples among those he’s writing to. Be sure to take the time to thank, or at least acknowledge those who have made a difference to you—especially your mother!

Unity Over Tolerance

What’s the difference between unity and tolerance? One definition of tolerance could be putting up with someone, or something, you are not particularly in favor of, for the sake of fellowship with other people. While that’s not altogether a bad thing, it could be potentially dangerous; Paul reminded us that “bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Yet, it’s our association with others that allows the gospel to be shared. Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are [immoral]... In that case, you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister [who is immoral].” 

Therefore, there is a higher standard for those of us who belong to Christ’s kingdom. “His ways are higher than our ways” (Isaiah 55:8), and we now live and think like Christ—at least that’s the goal. But we’re reminded often of how often we sin, how often we criticize, how often we lust, how often we hold a grudge, how often we cheat in some way. While we sin often, and while we’ve been warned about the dangers of associating with ungodly people, we are still called to be unified! This seems nearly impossible, and from a worldly perspective, it seems many “believers” are not very unified. 

Unity is a huge theme throughout the Bible. In fact, after God made humans and then they rebelled, the entire rest of the Bible is the efforts God is going through so that we can be unified again.

Paul’s letter to the Colossians addresses some key principles needed for people prone to sin, need to practice in order to obtain Christ-likeness. When you only “put up with” others, the opportunities to plant eternal seeds into the hearts of people is overlooked. To achieve unity, you must continually remind yourself what you have in common, what your goals are. 

Colossians 3:1-4, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and [our] life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is [our] life, appears, then [we] also will appear with Him in glory.” 

Thankfully Jesus desired more than to simply tolerate us; He sought for unity with us (John 17). Hebrews 4:14-16, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."