Every champion started out as ordinary, someone who blended into the status quo, probably underestimated by those who couldn’t see their potential. What changed them into someone legendary? The Journey.
Lent is a journey in itself. A time of reflection for Christians to remember Jesus who was led into the wilderness where for 40 days and nights he faced relentless temptation by the Great Enemy himself. Yet he refused to compromise, stood strong in his faith, and took another decisive step in his mission to become our Saviour and the Light of the World.
At some point, our own journey will lead us into the spiritual desert, where temptations whisper louder, distractions pop up like unseen enemies and the path ahead seems uncertain. But just like Jesus you too can emerge victorious, persevering through life’s sandstorms and step into the oasis of God’s promises.
With just over a week until Lent begins (5th March) now is the time to prepare our hearts, strengthen our spirits and draw encouragement and from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit.
Whether your journey is like The Avengers taking on Thanos, Luke Skywalker leaving Tatooine or whether you are a plumber jumping down a warp pipe for the first time.
Let us explore how humble beginnings led to epic destinies and how you, having been called to something greater by God can step up and embrace the legendary journey he personally has for you this Lent.
The Call to Adventure
One person who knows about being thrust into the deep end is Frodo Baggins. An ordinary Hobbit living an ordinary quiet life in the Shire, unaware of life beyond Hobbiton. Suddenly, he comes into possession of the One Ring, the most dangerous weapon in Middle Earth and he is force to leave on a journey to destroy it.
Though he is willing to undertake this task alone, others step up to accompany him, look out for him as well each other, despite their differences. A group of nine made up of the different races of Middle Earth to form the Fellowship of the Ring.
The whole group faced physical dangers, but Frodo’s greatest enemy was resisting the temptation of the Ring. As the Ringbearer, he had a great responsibility, there were times when he almost gave in, but he overcame that resistance thanks to his companions and own self will.
Even though he faced a battle that no one else was facing or could face, he still gladly accepted the burden of carrying the One Ring.
The 12 Apostles were ordinary people from different backgrounds, fisherman, a merchant and even a tax collector. Yet when Jesus called them, they followed even though they were being taken out of their comfort zones, lives that they knew and professions they were experienced in.
All of these were not trained Theologians, they didn’t attend courses, have study guides or even meet up as a group to discuss the Word. But it was because of their faith and the calling over them, that they stepped into the unknown and eventually became the 12 that we know them by today.
Just like Gandalf guided Frodo, Jesus isn’t just calling us to the journey, he’s also coming along for the ride. And don’t worry, you don’t have to carry a cursed ring all the way to a volcano to destroy it, but the road ahead still test you. But this is what it means to become leaders of the faith and disciples for the Kingdom.
Lent isn’t just about a time of reflection; it is a calling. A time when we must say yes to the journey before us and step up to become everything that God has called us to be and become.
Every great journey begins with a call, but answering it is only the first step. Even before a hero is ready to go out into the world, they must undergo training, to prepare themselves, very often this is done in isolation. Just as Frodo needed the Fellowship and Jesus needed the Apostles. We too need preparation for the road ahead.
When the light calls, will you answer?
Training in the Wilderness
At only 17 years old, Ezio Auditore de Firenze had to watch the murder of his father and two brothers who were falsely accused of something they did not commit or were involved in, in the first place.
He quickly took revenge. As a result, he had to flee Florence with his mother and sister traveling to his uncle’s residence in Monteriggioni.
Under his guidance, he trained in the ways of the Assassin. Despite his eagerness to go after others who were involved, his uncle educated him in not just improving his skills, but changing his character and persona completely, so that he could grow into his newest role, make sure he was fully ready and to ensure that he was successful in every mission he undertook.
Over the course of three games which covers his entire life as an Assassin, His journey transformation was one going from a reckless, cocky, arrogant and charismatic young man to a kind, wise and respected Master Assassin and eventual Mentor to the Italian branch as well as the Turkish Branch, (for a time.)
Just like Ezio, Moses went into exile after killing a man and fleeing, fearful of the consequences, eventually settling in Midian. For 40 years, he worked as a shepherd alongside his father-in-law, Jethro, his wife Zipporah and son, Gershom.
Throughout these 4 decades, even though Moses went tom the desert to hide, he had no idea that the role he had as a shepherd was preparing him to shepherd his fellow Israelites out of Egypt and a life of slavery.
Jesus spent only 40 days in the desert fasting and praying. That may not sound like a long time, but when it is lived, it can feel like a tiring time, I’m sure even Jesus had moments when it was becoming too much.
He didn’t have social media, video games or even a gripping book to keep himself occupied with. It was 40 days, 40 nights and a big showdown with the Devil himself. That is what you call Fasting.
But this was for him a spiritual training ground for him to prepare for his ministry.
We don’t have to literally be in the desert, but part of the process of training in the wilderness is by denying ourselves things, especially earthly things. They are a distraction taking our focus away from Jesus.
Just like Ezio gained new skills and abilities and even new traits in his training, so to overtime will we see things happen and receive things at the end result. But we must first learn to live without things, in order to gain things and receive more.
Moses had his family who he worked with as support. We all have our church family to go along this journey with us, especially since we are all walking the same one together. May we lean on God and help each other through our trials, through the difficulties and challenges of life, our promised land on the other side. We just need to walk through the desert in order to reach it.
Training is about equipping us, getting us ready for the battles ahead. The biggest ones aren’t very often fought on a physical landscape, but rather they are fought within ourselves. There are multiple strong warriors, but none of them are immune to facing their own weakness, doubts and fears. Lent is not just a time of physical discipline, but the struggles raging against our very soul.
Before victory comes the trial—will you endure the desert to emerge stronger?
Battling the Inner Foe
Cloud Strife’s main objective in Final Fantasy VII is to stop the antagonist and former fellow mentor and legendary SOLDIER, Sephiroth. But internally, he is battling past trauma and wrestling with haunted visions which causes him self-doubt. In effect, his internal goal is to find out who he really is and struggles to open up about it.
His companions are aware that he is not right in himself, but no matter that he faces, they reassure him that they will always be there for him and whatever comes his way, they will deal with it together.
Every single person in the bible had inner enemies that they wrestled with.
- Gideon struggled with fear.
- Moses had doubts in his ability to lead.
- Peter out of his own weakness denied Jesus, 3 times.
These are just three examples of people who wrestled with internal struggles. Even Jesus wasn’t immune. He experienced deep anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing what was about to come for him.
All of us can relate to one or many people in the bible, not just based on their strengths, but also our weaknesses. In today’s age, each comes in a different form: some of you might wrestle with addictions, some of you might wrestle with temper, some of you wrestle with waiting and patience, others have the weakness of gossip, unaware of the pain that they have brought from it.
Whatever your flaws, the easy option is to run away, but instead Lent is a time to confront them. Don’t let your struggles make you live in fear of them. When Jesus said he overcame the world, that also meant every battle we would ever face whether that be external or internal.
God can reshape us to stand above every negative thing, to face every battle and emerge victorious. Let us stand united together and raise each other up to become overcomers, not the overcome.
Even though being strong is a bonus, it alone doesn’t guarantee victory. In fact, winning a battle can very often involve surrender. In fact some of the greatest victories don’t come from just fighting harder, but from letting go and trusting God. We do this by placing him at the center of our lives and John the Baptist knows all about how do this very well.
The greatest battles aren’t fought with swords but within the soul.
Victory through Surrender
Obi-Wan Kenobi, a once great and legendary Jedi knight. Since exiling himself on Tatooine after the near extinction of the Jedi, he has become a shadow of his former self. But when Luke Skywalker comes into his life, he ends up mentoring him in the ways he was taught, helping him embrace his destiny to rebuild the Jedi Order.
On the Death Star, Obi-Wan faces Darth Vader, his former apprentice and Luke’s father. Upon seeing Luke and the others make their escape, he makes the decision to sacrifice himself and allow Darth Vader to strike him down. He knew that this would inspire Luke to keep going and push past any self-doubt he had. Obi-Wan saw the bigger picture and knew this was necessary not just for Luke to embrace his eventual new role, but also for the downfall of the Sith, the Jedi’s main enemies.
John The Baptist had a similar path to Obi-Wan. He baptized Jesus and prepared the way for him, but knew when to let go and step aside as his mission was to serve, not remain at the center, even reiterating in John 3:30: “He must become greater, I must become less.”
Even though their deaths did not follow a similar pattern. Obi-Wan sacrificed himself whereas John was imprisoned and executed, their passing was a catalyst for greater to unfold. Obi-Wan became a force spirit, guiding Luke throughout his Jedi journey. John was honoured by Jesus himself and the message he spread continues, even now into the modern age.
Lent is not about giving up, but it is about surrender, about putting Jesus in the spotlight while we continue to serve him behind the scenes. We do that by giving our lives to him and reminding ourselves that he is at the center.
May we learn to let go of our need to be in control and understand that Jesus is in control of everything from our dreams and desires to our fears, concerns and worries. He sees it all and knows what you are going through. By putting him at the core, we put him as first place and the priority and we can trust him knowing he has the solution and outcome to everything we are facing.
Surrendering to God’s plan does not mean the battle is over. In fact, it actually means the real test is about to begin. Having endurance to the end is how we finish strong. Just as Samus Aran fights terrors and enemies, alone, on distant planets, we too must press through, trusting that God will bless us with the strength to endure.
The greatest triumph is found on our knees.
Endurance for the Final Battle
Samus Aran is a prime example of what it means to have endurance and perseverance to succeed at every mission she is given.
In the Metroid Prime series, she works alone. Apart from save points and her own gunship, she is out in the wilds of the planets she is on and completely exposed with only herself, her arsenal of weapons and her survival instincts to help her.
Apart from being a tough, tenacious and heavy hitting soldier, she also faces numerous foes, mini bosses and a big boss, all by herself. She has no allies physically on the battlefield to assist her, she cannot call in backup or ask them to provide any additional weapons, at any time.
She is a great example of what a strong warrior should be with the limited number of resources she has, relying on the training she received and her own experience, all towards the final goal of defeating the final boss and ensuring peace across the galaxy.
One biblical figure who knows about experiencing this type of story is David. A shepherd boy who was anointed to be King of Israel, but instead of going straight to the palace, he went back to the very shepherd’s fields he was tending.
Throughout his time there, he learnt how to shepherd sheep in preparation to be a leader to the people of Israel. He fought off wild animals that were attacking the flocks, this prepared him for his confrontation with Goliath.
The journey towards the final destination is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Athletes have to have incredible endurance to keep pushing on to the finish line. We too must remain steadfast, especially when the excitement of the journey begins to wear off.
One common theme heroes encounter is a defining moment. It is this point where they decide to press on, or turn back and throw away everything they have already worked so hard for. With Lent, we all face the same choice.
Will you stay the course, no matter how hard it gets? Will you endure the trials you encounter? Will you surrender yourselves and allow God to shape you into the person you were created to be? How you respond will define the end result and what awaits at your journey’s end.
No matter where you are in your journey, take heart. God is walking the path with you. If you feel like you’ve failed in the past or even recently, every biblical figure went through that at some point. Peter denied Jesus three times, yet became one of the great leaders of our faith. Your story is far from over. This Lent, take that first step forward, knowing that not only is God guiding your journey, but he also with you every step of the way.
The climb is steep, but the reward is eternal.
Conclusion
Every hero whether fictional or from the bible faced multiple trials and hardships. But because they refused to give up, because they refused to compromise or take an easier option, they achieved great things. Things that we remember, that survived the test of time.
This is what you can be remembered by if you stay the course, if you don’t choose to voluntarily step away or abandon the journey altogether.
Coal must undergo a process of pressure to become diamonds and in God’s furnace, you are those valuable stones waiting to undergo a transformative process, so that just like those diamonds you can shine and others around you can see the value that God places on you.
Journeys of transformation are most often fraught with tests, trials and even persecutions, but it is these ones that are the most rewarding as we come out victorious, spiritually renewed and a new creation.
Call to Action: Let us begin Lent together and finish it together. May all of us bond together to help each other along the journey. This week and throughout Lent, lift each other up when things become too difficult. Cheer someone on by helping them and reminding them that their journey is one where they are not alone. Nourish someone with prayer and positive words when they are spiritually exhausted. As it reads in Proverbs 11:25: “Those who refresh others, will themselves be refreshed.”
Let’s answer the call, step forward in faith and understand that we are being prepared for something greater.
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