Nerd Faith: Jesus and the Jedi order

Wow. It's been all of an hour since my last blog. Guess I just have a lot to say today.

This inspiration came at the dinner table while conversing with my Mom and Dad about spiritual things. Nothing really in particular, just about the general goodness of God and other such things. Then out of nowhere, I all of the sudden realized how much the Christian faith can be paralleled to the Force in the Star Wars movies. Yes, totally nerdy, I know. I am a nerd at heart (and yes, a Star Wars fan) and that's just something you will have to deal with if you wish to continue reading this blog.

All that said, I just wanted to briefly make some connections that I believe to hold some truth. I also wanted to offer an original (well, original in my mind at least) and fresh (again, to me) way to view the Christian life.

THE FORCE: In the Star Wars films, the Force is (in the words of Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi)"...what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." Now, the Force isn't real (do I hear weeping? Weird....) but lets take a look at the similarities and differences between God and the force. The above quote if it were to be in the Bible may sound something like "The Lord is what gives a Christian his power. He is everywhere, and has created all living things. He surrounds us and penetrates us. He holds the galaxy together" Wow. I never knew I could be such a geek. But do you get at what I'm driving at? The Force (besides the fact that uh...it's not real) is almost a direct analogy for God. It may be a stretch for some of you, but this example for me really helps. May the Lord be with you, always. Wow. I really hate how much of a tool I sound like right now. ;)

THE JEDI: So not only is there the Force, but there are those select few who are just more than aware of it's existence. There are the people who devote their entire life to following the ways of the force. In the films these are called the Jedi. The Jedi are called to live a life differnet from all other beings who dwell within the universe. They start as padawans, and eventually (through the training of their master) become full blown lightsaber sportin' Jedi Masters. Yay! The whole idea of the Jedi is again, frighteningly enough, another direct anaolgy for the whole aspect of the Christian lifestyle and discipleship. We start as padawans (or "baby Christians") and through the training (discipleship) of our masters (people God puts in our lives) we can eventually get a reasonably fair understanding of who God is, and how to fully use the power he gives us to help others.

Another small thing I would like to point out is that in the films, the Jedi are often times misunderstood, feared, and hated by the other less Force-aware beings. If I have to point out how this ties into the Christian walk...so help me.

THE LIGHTSABER: As many of who are still reading this probably know, the lightsaber is the Jedi's weapon of choice. It is a sword made of energy, that can cut through literally anything except of course, another lightsaber. Since Star Wars is set in the future (well, technically a long time ago...wow, I'm just fully embracing the nerd today) it seems strange to other creatures that they do not wield some sort of super-powerful laser carbine blaster or some other giant weapon that could easily destroy. In the words of Han Solo, an "...ancient weapon is no match for a blaster at your side..." Well Mr. Solo, what do you say when a Jedi starts charging at you bouncing every single shot you take right back at you and then cuts your wimpy pistol right in half? Yeah, that's what I thought. Anyway, the Christian approach (weapon) to things is far more sophisticated and accurate, than that of the world's. The world will just start blasting anything and anyone at random. This is an analogy of how a non-believer will often times start ranting about matters of which they have no solid truth in. The true Christ follower can be both gentle and aggressive. We can also use the word of God to deflect the lies and everything else this world offers us.

I can go on and on about how there is a dark side (people who are FIRMLY rooted in lies) and yadda yadda yadda, but I already think I'm going to have to take a shower to wash all this NERD off of me. Wow. I didn't know I could be this much of a geek.

If you found this helpful, then I have done my job. You may think it's cheesy and probably a slew of other things, but at least you can't deny that there is SOME connection.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think my pocket protectors are done drying.

The emptiness of it all, and who cares anyway.

My inspirations for writing these sorts of blogs come at random times. That's why I have to write it when the flash of brilliance comes, because if I don't do it right away, I won't ever do it. Today, it just so happens that this revelation came to me in the shower, and, knowing that a lot of people might need to hear this, I took it seriously enough to hop right of the shower and come down and start typing.

In a nutshell, I was thinking about how much easier life would be if everyone liked me. Not just liked me, but adored me. I tried to imagine myself in a place where EVERYONE in the whole wide world not only liked, but loved me. Sounds like either ego or insecurity, but hear me out on this one.

What if everyone liked you? Praised you, kissed the ground you walked upon, and claimed that they would do anything for you? For a few minutes, it sounds like life might be easier to handle, but then I REALLY thought about (and over-analyzed it, as I often do) and wondered what I would feel like inside. Initially I thought that I wouldn't have a problem in the world and that everything would be easy and fun. Then I thought harder, and realized it would all be empty. Think about it, if EVERYONE in the world complimented you on EVERYTHING you did, would you feel better about yourself in the long run? No, you wouldn't. Think about that last compliment you recieved, even from someone you admire. Did it make all your problems and struggles vaporize? I'm guessing no. In fact, my guess is that in a weird way, it would make you even more insecure in the long run. You would start to wonder what it is that you were doing that everyone liked, and the pressure to uphold that reputation would wear you down to the bone.

Now imagine praise coming from not just someone you admire, but from EVERYONE. The pressure would then be off the charts. You would no longer be yourself, and you would start to worry that eventually you would do something wrong, and lose all your fans. You would turn into a butt-kissing schmoozer. No one likes those people. Your identity would be completely lost, and eventually you would die a very unhappy person in the inside.

Sometimes, I think life would be easier if everyone hated me. There would be no pressure on you to be anything but yourself. You would feel much more liberated on the inside, and at the end of the day, you would at least have yourself. You wouldn't have a reputation to uphold, and the drive to conform with everyone else would completely dissipate.

That's why I beleive, that God causes people to hate Christians so much. In a way, I think it's a strategy designed for the sole purpose of finding our identity in him. At the end of the day, if you have no one else, at least you have Jesus, who loves you no matter what you do. He's your biggest and only true fan. Man's praise is empty. I think tonight, that concept finally hit home for me. I don't know how, or why, but it came to me while washing my hair.

So be free, for our identity is in the Lord. All of this will be gone one day. Life is fleeting blip on the radar screen of eternity. Don't waste your time trying to be someone that everyone is going to like because I'll let you in a little secret. IT WON"T WORK!!!

Those are my thoughts for today. Oh, and if you happen to be one of those people who don't like me, thank you. You're keeping me sane.