02.09
I was reading today in Donald Miller’s book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, that a good friend from our ministry had lent me. A single sentence at the end of chapter twenty crept off the page and brutally attacked me. It wasn’t pretty to be sure.
“I would have faced the resistance.”
That’s it. That’s the sentence that did me in. That caused me to question myself…my heart…my courage…my motives as of late. Do I run from resistance? Do I pass on the other side of the locker room hoping to not be noticed when the bully of resistance begins to speak? Don’t we all feel like that sometimes? We just want life to be more comfortable…more stable…calm.
Recently I watched the latest Terminator movie at my house. I needed a story to lose myself in for a while with a lot of explosions and action. John Connor, one of the lead characters of the Terminator saga, would periodically get on a short wave radio and speak to any humans who were potentially listening in. He would end each discourse with the statement, “If you are listening, you are the resistance.” Of course he was stating that they were resisting the world domination of Sky Net and the machines, but could we possibly reverse that and accurately imply that the machines were also the resistance? Is it possible that the machines were resisting man’s very freedom and way of life?
A few weeks ago, I finished a different book called, Wild at Heart by John Eldridge (also loaned by another guy from our church, High Way Community). I loved how he illustrated our deepest and greatest need in life as men is to have something to fight for…that we truly find ourselves when we get lost in an epic (“legendary” if Travis is reading this) adventure. Numerous times he illustrated points with comparisons to the historical account as well as the movie depiction of William Wallace. I think his answer to the first quote would be concrete…absolute…resolved. His life proved that it was. His hearts cry for Scotland’s freedom from the English drove his every breath and action. He was willing to defiantly face his resistance.
William Wallace faced the resistance. John Conner faced the resistance. Donald Miller would have faced the resistance. Would Steve Crowder face his resistance as well? I think we are all posed with that question daily…or at least every other day. We resist lethargy, monotony, temptation, the dude with the incessant need to honk and flash fingers, the red light, the domineering boss…and the list goes on. But, in the book of Job chapter 11 verse 15 says, “you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear.”
Jesus willingly faced His resistance…and won! He foretold that we would face some as well. Know today that He is able…that you are able…that I am able to face the resistance that would seek to rob us of everything God has destined for us to become and every adventure that would awaken our hearts to life.
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First and foremost, I really enjoy your distillation of these two books; it makes me want to read them as soon as possible.
So often, we lose ourselves to the resistance. In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield devotes about a third of the book about how the Resistance robs us of our creative potential. (He also devotes a third to discussing a creative greater than ourselves, an interesting perspective in a secular book.) In sort, Resistance reduces our ability to carry out the life that God has delivered, enabled, and commissioned us to live.
Resistance takes a chokehold on our destination, and can mount quietly and incrementally over the course of years.
This simple truth – that through God, resistance can be overcome – can unlock our lives. This post and today’s discussion with the men of the ministry was important and empowering. Thanks for it!
Hey there Steve! I am so please, proud and happy that you are living out your dreams of spreading the word of God! I love that David is doing so great as well. I have even requested our church play more music by them because it is great music w/a strong message. I just wanted to congratulate you on all your success w/ministering to others, helping and just being a servant of God. God bless you and your family and keep up what it is that you are doing. Way back when, I said I would make a donation and I’m going to do so. We plan in about 15 yrs to pay off our home and possibly buy a second home/vacation home in Colorado and so I’d love to visit your church, if that dream of ours come true. I hope the donation can be put to good use and I know it will! Again, God Bless your heart and your family, too!