I realized tonight that writing a blog post is often like waiting for fruit to ripen. If you pick it too early, it just won’t taste as good. But if you wait too long, it really won’t taste good. Maybe writing works the same. Timing is everything, and God certainly has perfect timing.
People know that I often say, “Never underestimate how God could use something.” Even if a story of your life or a detail of your life might seem bizarre, don’t ever put God in a box. He often uses what we think is insignificant.
Like a lot of kids, I grew up playing video games. To put it simply, they were fun and awesome. You could plunge into grand adventures and do impossible things. You could race cars 200 mph or you could shoot enemy forces in a war game. (Seems like it usually fell under one of those two categories).
It might sound odd that a guy who rides horses would play Xbox. But that’s what I did all the way through high school. I would ride horses all afternoon and then go on missions in the evening. I played these games with a friend of mine across the street. Videogames might have been the only thing we had in common, but it was a great way to spend time with him.
One game that always stood out to me was called Halo—a first-person shooter game that focused on a super soldier in green armor. He was a real Clint Eastwood kind of a guy. Nobody—not even the enemy Covenant forces—stood a chance against this tough character. He could level the playing field and defeat an entire armada on his own. Every kid my age knew about the Master Chief.
In the past, I’ve talked about guys in armor. They always inspired me, and, honestly, I’m glad. I’m thankful that I’ve always had the good kind of heroes to look up to—brave warriors who would take firm stands, even to the cost of their lives.
Everyone knew that Master Chief—Spartan 117—was a fictional character. But he was a figure that I think inspired a level of bravery. I’m not sure what other players took away from the game experience, but I really gleaned the importance of being a brave person, even if you have to face overwhelming odds.
Kids knew that the Master Chief wasn’t real, but I think a lot of us wanted him to be. Maybe it’s because today we just don’t see a lot of truly brave people. What folks call ‘brave’ today should usually be called cowardice.
One thing that develops throughout the Halo series is the fact that even the Master Chief has to come to terms with his own humanity. Yes, he’s a legend. Yes, he’s seven feet tall and wears armor with an over-shield. And yes, he probably could take on the entire Covenant. But he cannot escape his humanity. He’s not a machine or something that doesn’t feel. John actually has a name, and he experiences emotion. Even he fails at times.
Sometimes I think that I have to be like Master Chief—a figure who can handle anything that’s overwhelming and not get stressed about it. But gosh, reality says otherwise! Truth is there’s very little that I can handle on my own. I need God for everything. What a good reminder that we were made to depend on Him.
Maybe you’re like me. I try to do everything at once and break a record while doing it. I try to get ahead on things so that nothing will be overwhelming or out of my hands. I fight like a machine for normalcy. But, the more I do that, it seems like the worse it gets. When one round of overwhelming finishes, another one fires up. Does it ever end??
When you try to be like Master Chief, you forget that you have limits. You’re not a fictional character. You can only do so much. And if you can’t get it all done today, you’ll just have to be okay with getting it done tomorrow.
“Tomorrow!?”
Yep, and I know that’s hard to swallow if you’re anything like me. Sometimes I find myself worshipping this idol called control. I want to have control over the playing field. And if I’m not ahead on things, I’m miserable and my mind is consumed with it.
Ouch. Misplaced worship.
God has been teaching me so much about desiring to be faithful, instead of desiring to be admired. Master Chief was a famous legend because of all his heroic feats. But remember: it’s fiction. We can only do what we can do. Some things just have to wait. You have to prioritize what is actually a priority and just do your best. Things that we sometimes perceive as ‘priorities’ may not actually be priorities. Maybe we just want people to be in awe of us.
Are you struggling with burn-out in life and ministry? Maybe you’re doing too much. Maybe you need to know when to hit the pause button and come back to the game later. You’re not Master Chief. Don’t try to push through something that requires patience and perseverance. If you try to do everything all at once, you’ll wish that you hadn’t.
Super soldiers are really neat. They accomplish great feats. But God doesn’t call for super soldiers. He calls for faithful soldiers. He expects us to trust in Him with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). If something needs to get done, as long as we’re being faithful, God will take care of the rest. It may not happen in the timing we figured, but He will take care of it.
Whenever I’m at the warehouse, I daily have to accept that I can’t “get ahead” on things. Is it nice to be ahead? Definitely. But it’s not my job to “be ahead”. It’s my job to be faithful and let God handle the outcomes. What a humbling thing.
The Bible says, “Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed in the renewing of your mind” -Romans 12:2
I am truly a work in progress, but I’m so thankful to know that He who began a good work in me will carry to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
To Him be the glory.
-CH
Special thanks to Mike Blackstone who was my inspiration for this post
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