Sometimes it’s really hard to listen. To sit back, stop talking, and focus. As Mr. Han once told Dre Parker in the new Karate Kid movie, “Your focus needs more focus.” We live in a world that is in desperate need of more focus. We prioritize so much on entertaining ourselves with things like internet, cell phones, dating, social media, texting, movies, television, music, games, and people. When was the last time you separated yourself from the world? When did you last turn off the music, your cell phone, laptops, and all the other distractions and just listened? Listen to the silence. But nobody has the attention span anymore to stop and focus. The lack of focus is why we miss so much in life, like these everyday superheroes. We take advantage of having heroes like these in our lives, not realizing that in a second they can be taken away.
I know I normally joke and tease until the cows come home, but I have something important I need to discuss with you this week. I know some of you might not listen. Some might close off my blog and some may never return. But I hope not. I hope that today’s message speaks to you more than any other post ever will, because it is the that important. Today I need to tell you about the most important hero of all. A man who’s sacrifice is not only forgotten, but is more often ignored and classified as fiction.
If a man jumped on a bomb to save the lives of his brigade or took a bullet so that someone else could survive, would you ignore his sacrifice? Could you look into his mother’s eyes and tell her that his sacrifice meant nothing, that her pain and tears when she watched her son die were worthless. Could you look into the eyes of all of his family, friends, and the people who watched him die and tell them that he never existed. No, nobody could, right? Wrong.
Would you believe me if I told you that I know someone who burdened himself with the weight of all your mistakes? Would you believe he took all your lust, your lies, your hate, and everything else that makes you less than perfect? He did. His name was, and is, Jesus Christ. If you just rolled your eyes or made a snide comment please reread the previous paragraph. Does it seem so impossible now?
I can’t tell you how many heated debates I’ve witnessed about the Bible v. Society. None of them ever end pretty. So many people want proof. Once they’ve seen the proof they only demand more. It’s like my favorite childhood story, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”, once you give them what they ask for they only ask for more. They move on a continuous loop, never satisfied with our answers. I have seen people accept scientific theories with little to no evidence quicker than they accept the Bible that has mountains of authenticity. But I’m not here to throw a Bible at you and tell you how to live your life. That’s up to you, and nobody else.
I can’t compare Jesus to any superhero because there is no one else in the universe that is like him, and none will ever compare. He healed the sick, blind, and lame. He fed thousands of people with a meal that could feed only a single man. He calmed the storms. He walked on water! These are just a few of his incredible miracles.
Every hero has his greatest battle, the one that causes readers and viewers to baffle in wonder. How could the hero possible win this and come out alive? A few examples of these might be The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. But something inside our gut will tug at our heart with one small grasp of hope and tells us that everything will work out. For Jesus, his greatest battle was when he had the world turn their backs on him. Much like Batman in the Dark Knight series, the world went from loving him to hating him almost overnight.
The day before Jesus was arrested, people lay down palm branches and praised him. This was the ultimate form of respect and honor. One of Jesus’ friends betrayed him, the rest denied d abandoned him. When he was tried before Pilate, he stood alone in front of the thousands of people who had worshiped him just the day before. The crowd allowed their focus to be eschewed. They told Pilate to crucify the man they called Hosanna, King, Savior, and Lord less than a day ago.
Imagine you lost everything. Literally—take a moment and realize what you’d do without all those gadgets that keep your life interesting, all the people you text and tweet, everything you know and love was just gone. Jesus knew it was coming, it was what he came here to do. How many of us can say that as kids we knew our purpose was to die for the mistakes of others? I can’t and I know you can’t.
Crucifixion is the most brutal, inhumane, and most painful way to die. First they took off his clothes and whipped him until you could no longer see flesh, only blood and the layers of muscle underneath his skin. A crown of thorns was pressed on his head. Jesus was forced to carry his own deathbed though the town and up a hill. A man stopped to help him carry the cross, but once they were at the top nails were driven through Jesus’ hands and feet as he hung from a “t” shaped tree. Even as the soldiers gambled for his clothes, Jesus asked God to forgive them. He begged his Father God to forgive his persecutors, betrayers, and everyone.
At the moment of his death he took upon himself all the sin that had ever been and will ever be. This is no happy, sunshiny bedtime story. This is real. He died. Jesus DIED. As in left this world and went to hell. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we didn’t have to go to hell for being imperfect. He was perfect so that we don’t have to be. Jesus died for all of us, even you. Even me. Every time I hear this story I cry. It’s almost too good to be true. Jesus lived a perfect life so that I don’t have to.
So many people refuse to provide the personal evidence that makes the truth so real you can taste it. I am not perfect, I never will be. Jesus saved my life. I will save you the details but it boils down to this. I was alone. I had friends, family, and a life yet I felt alone. I had this empty hole in my heart that could not be filled. I went to church every Sunday since I was a kid. I was baptized. I accepted Jesus multiple times. When I was little, I was afraid God wouldn’t take a sinner me so I would rededicate myself every time they offered to because I wanted so badly to be with Him. It was sophomore year. I had a boyfriend who’s love for me was not pure but I fought to not give in, mentally and physically. I’m sorry if you’re a friend of mine or a family member but it’s the truth, and sometimes people need to hear multiple intertwined truths to believe them both. I was constantly trying to escape my home by going to other people’s houses and to drama practice. No reason except that I was selfish and could not face my family with my fears and guilt. I built up a wall and perfected my poker face. I lied and no one caught me. No one saw my misery, or if they did they ignored it. I was alone. I felt I had no where to go and no one to talk to. I was so afraid. Someone once told me they didn’t understand people who were depressed, and that they just needed to get over it themselves. I had to hold myself to keep from slapping him hard across the face. Until you have held that bottle of pills, loaded gun, or rope you have no idea how much pain, hatred, and misery can be contained inside one person. I have been there and I never want to go back.
One day when I was home alone a voice came to me, a voice that was familiar like an old friend but distant like a stranger. The voice said, “What are you doing? Look you can keep going down this path you’re on but my plan for you is so much better than what you have planned.” That was at that moment that I turned my life around. I haven’t had a suicidal thought since. Has life been tough? Heck yes, even tougher than before my depression and it only gets worse. But I don’t let it get to me. Why? Because now I have a sturdy foundation in God. Whatever the devil does to knock me down will not sway me away from my Father; God is my Father, the One and Only God, the King of all Kings, the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End. He is my everything.
The devil could not keep Jesus in his fiery prison. After three days Jesus raised from the dead and opened the path for all those who believed in God to go to heaven. If you want to go to heaven all you need to do is believe. Just like Karate Kid when Dre focused and believed that he had the power to win, he performed a move that only elite masters could attempt and he won. He proved that good concurs evil, no matter what challenges are thrown their way. That’s exactly what Jesus did, for me and you. So let go of materialistic items that consume our everyday world. Focus on what’s important. As cliché as it sounds, You Only Live Once. Don’t wait until it’s to late. Every day I wonder what would have happened if I had taken my own life. I think about my family, friends, lives I’ve touched, and lives I want to touch. Now that I’ve told my story, it’s time to tell yours.
If you would like to talk to someone about my post, please email me, message me, or contact me in some way. If you need help larger than me I know some great and strong believers who can help you. Thank you for giving me your time. That’s all I could ever ask for.
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