The American Dream

One of my teachers once said to my class:

"Why are you guys here in this class today?"

Everyone responded, "'Cause we have to be."

"Why?" he asked.

"So we can graduate," everyone agreed.

"Why do you want to graduate?"

"So we can go to college."

"Why do you want to go to college?"

"So we can graduate and get a good job."

"Why do you want a good job?"

"So we can... umm...ya know."

He summed it up in a way that really spoke to me. He said that the reason we want this is 'because society and our American culture has taught us this is what you must do so that in the end you can have a white-picket fence life with a beautiful wife, two kids, and a dog'. Granted, I'm paraphrasing from memory, but he did use the picket fence line.

He then told us that we shouldn't let our grade in his class control our life in his class. He wanted us to learn, or at least participate, even if we ended up not getting a good grade. He said that even if we failed the class, it wasn't the end of the world.

How very Dead-Poet's-Society-Mister-Keeting.

Moving on. Lately, I've been insanely busy with work from both Sophmore year and make-up work from Freshman year. And I've just asked myself, 'what's the point? What do I want to do with my life?'

Toby Mac, in his song Lose My Soul, says:

*Yeah, I wanna be a daddy who's in the mix.
I wanna be a husband who stays legit.
I pray I'll be an artist who rises above
the road that is wide and filled with self love.*

I've been thinking about college. And I just feel like... I need to be OUT THERE. IN the world, not studying away so that I can be happy. Many people will say that in order to be able to actually contribute and help the world you need to have the knowledge and skill of a college degree; it's a common consensus that you must be 'well-rounded' in order to help change the world.

I agree, it's important to be well-rounded and knowledgeable.

But...Every time I think about going to college, I get this feeling it's going to lead me inevitably to the place I do not want to be.

I do not want to be the guy who settles down so he can live his life with his family, only looking after my families' and my own interest. There's this part of me that feels like if I conform to the American dream idea, I won't have any lasting impact on the world. I'll have an impact on people, but not the world.

In Switchfoot's song American Dream, they say:

*This ain't my 'American Dream'.
I want to live and die
For bigger things.
I'm tired of fighting for just me!
This ain't MY 'American Dream'.*

I want to spread the Gospel and the word of Jesus. I want to help people! So, in thinking about my future, I've been thinking about careers:

My gift is in art. I want to glorify God with the gift He has given me. But I feel like I won't help spread His message if I become a comic book artist or work with PIXAR or another animation company. Could I have an impact on the life of others?

My other main gift is in writing- I have a passion for telling stories. This has also lead to screen-play writing and an interest in directing within the movie industry. I want to write books, directs films, help out with them, act, etc. Story is SUCH a powerful thing, especially today.

I love music- more specifically, singing. I'm not boasting when I say that I'm a decent singer. Musicians are the philosophers of today and Christian musicians have an incredible reach within our community to encourage other Christians to take action.

I want to protect people and save people. I could never be a doctor- but I've considered (and, yes, this is weird) the job of FBI profiler/psychologist. If I can help enforce our culture's laws (many of which are based on the 10 Commandments!), I want to! The human psyche and mind fascinates me. Maybe a prosecutor. I don't know.

After going through the things I have with an anxiety disorder and severe OCD, I want to help others who have dealt with that. I want to be a counselor. I want to help people who are hurting because I've felt that way.

I want to be a missionary of my own. I want to hitch-hike across America with nothing but a bag of a few necessities and the desire to deliver God's word. I want to have an experience like Don Miller when he lived for months within a homeless community among hippies. I want a REAL experience like that.

So, do you see all of those desires and emotions? And everyone else is just like me. Everyone has these feelings. I don't know what I'll do. Maybe I'll pursue art, maybe I'll pursue writing, maybe I'll pursue the criminal justice fields, maybe I pursue psychiatry. Maybe I'll go to Seminary and become a pastor.

But here is where the main point of this entry starts:

Thousands of people died in the earthquakes in Haiti. All around America, Christians are praying and the country is sending help in the form of the National Guard.

Here's my question: Why haven't we all bought plane tickets down to Haiti to help find people amongst the rubble? Why have we shaken our heads and said, 'That's a horrible tragedy. We should help!' and done nothing ourselves.

Yeah, yeah, regulations and laws of our culture.

I'm worried that if I go to college for the betterment of my future, I will lose this feeling, this yearning. I'm worried if I pursue my own interests instead of trying to help people, I will not be doing what I have been called to do as a Christian.

If you had asked me a few months ago what I wanted out of life, I would have told you:
House with a white picket fence, a wife, a job that makes good money that I enjoy, and two kids and a dog.

If you ask me now, I'd say:
I don't know.

I don't want to squander my artistic ability by ignoring it. It's a wonderful gift God has given me, and I should use it to honor Him! But if I end up working at one of my possible 'dream jobs', animating for comic books and publishing my own stuff, how will I contribute? The only thing people will see is my art. They might say, 'Wow, that's cool art.' But have I conveyed anything about God?

I guess, in the end, I'm torn between the careers I selfishly want to pursue and the careers I want to seek because I want to help the world.

In Smallville, (Let me guess: You just rolled your eyes because I'm making ANOTHER Smallville reference.) when Oliver Queen reveals to Lois Lane that he is the Green Arrow and then leaves her, he explains his reasoning thusly:

"There are more important things in this world than me and what I want...or what I love."

I find that quote so moving, because it just hits the note I'm trying to hit perfectly.

As the body of Christ, everyone is needed. Everyone is as important as everyone else. The body cannot function without hands. Ya know? So I understand that every job is needed, every occupation. But I just don't know what body part I fit in yet.

This may sound silly, but please don't laugh when I say what I'm about to say:

I want to be a superhero.

Not a spandex-wearing dude, no. I want to be someone who is making a major difference in the world without selling my soul to the views of any country's politics. I want the power to make a difference- whether by protecting people, sharing with them in their pain, or spreading the word of God.

Don't get me wrong: I still want what everyone wants- a loving family, a nice life with enough money not to have to worry, etc.

Obviously, I can't do any of this on my own. I need God to work through me. But I don't want to end my life knowing that the only people who will remember me in history are my friends and family. This isn't a hunger for greed or recognition- I just need to make a difference in the world somehow by using my gifts and my passions.

God put us on Earth for a reason. He will use His followers no matter what. But I don't want to waste my life worrying about grades in high school when there are people out there who are hurting and need love. The same applies for my thoughts on college, and then having a job later. Who cares about what your high-school diploma says? I need to interact and get to know my classmates and love them. I believe in working hard, but I refuse to allow school to influence my self-image. It's about how I interact with people, not about how well-written my essay on 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' was. I gave it my best. There's nothing else to say. My attention CANNOT be consumed by school, or I will lose my self to our culture's views and eventually lose my soul and individuality.

John the Baptist is one of my heroes. He's the guy who ate honey and grasshoppers while wearing a camel hair tunic. He was probably unshaven and hairy. And he stood in the middle of the streets and in the waters screaming God's message, proclaiming it loudly.

Lots of people will say you can't spread God's word without a 'proper education'. While I have the utmost respect for the educational system, especially Seminary. But when we're spreading the gospel, I think God is controlling what we say. God is using us as puppets in those moments. My friend Glen wrote a fantastic note on Facebook about his experience with this which I could not have endorsed more. He hit the nail on the head.

If you think you need to be smart or 'well-rounded' to help spread the Gospel, consider this: the disciples, and eventually the Apostles- lots of them started as fisherman. Not Pharisees. Not famous, intelligent teachers. They caught fish for a living. They were believers and understood their faith, but they weren't as 'well-rounded' as the Pharisees. They were rough around the edges.

In the Old Testament, there's the story of Balaam (spell check me on that one...) and his donkey. His donkey talks to him about God. A donkey is explaining the most important thing in the world to a human being.

David danced naked in the streets for God. If I did that, people would turn up their noses and say I was 'uncivilized'. Maybe that's what we need! David Crowder, in his song 'I Will Dance', asks his concert crowd to make a joyful noise and a loud noise. In the exact quote: "Not just a little itty-bitty quiet noise- a LOUD noise."

I don't care if I'm super-knowledgeable and well-rounded. I just want to be used to make a difference.

*If you want to live life loud,
Throw your hands up!
If you want to scream and shout-
Let me hear ya!*

-Hawk Nelson

Armor of God

"'In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil's might beware my power- Green Lantern's light!"- The Corps Oath

One of the most well-known super heroes of the DC Comics universe is Green Lantern. Who is Green Lantern? Let me fill all of you non-nerds now.

The Green Lantern isn't one superhero. There's an entire Corps called (surprise, surprise) The Green Lantern Corps. Around the entire galaxy, the Guardians of the Universe select beings who display extreme will-power to be members of the Corps. The person receives a ring, takes the oath, and then becomes a Green Lantern. Using the ring, the Green Lantern channels their will power to make stuff with their mind.

So yeah. Anyway. Green Lantern. What's this got to do with anything?

A'ight. Well, in Ephesians 6:11-17, it says to put on the full armor of God. The fulls verse says:

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God."

So, when we're saved by God, we've been given all the tools necessary to combat evil. However, we are not battling evil- God is. Here's what I mean:

In the Green Lantern story, the rings of power get their abilities to channel willpower from the Master Power Battery guarded by the spirit Ion. The weapons (the rings of power) were created by a force INFINITELY more powerful than the Green Lanterns. These weapons were then bestowed on the chosen warriors. The chosen warriors use this weapon to channel both their own will and the energy of the Master Power Battery.

It's kind of like the Bible, isn't it? I mean, God gave us His son for salvation and then gave us the Bible as well, which was also a weapon. God protects us and fights for us, but He also fights along side us. I might not be making my point well... Uh...

Anyway, in Green Lantern, the Lantern's are weak against the 'yellow impurity'. The yellow impurity (AKA Parallax) is known as the living embodiment of fear and doubt. The reason the Lantern's are weak to the color yellow is because if they allow fear/doubt to enter their 'constructs' (the things they make with their rings), they are vulnerable. I thought this was kind of like doubting God.

See, if we trust in God fully we are told we can move mountains. Says so in the Bible. Anyone with faith 'as small as a mustard seed' could move mountains.

The rings are basically the most powerful weapon in the DC Universe, stemming from possibly the ultimate power at the center. But when the Lantern's start forgetting about where their gifts- their rings- come from and believe that they are the source of their own power, they become susceptible to fear and doubt. And when fear and doubt enters the mind of a Lantern, they are officially vulnerable to the bad guys, who have figured out how to tap into the power of fear. They're called (surprise surprise) Yellow Lanterns.

Anyway, I'm thinking that doubt follows arrogance once we forget God is at the center. God was the source of the Apostle's miracles, and God is the source for our everyday strength. Without the gifts He has given us, we're nothing. At all. Seriously.

I guess in the end I'm making two points (albeit rather poorly):
1) God is the source of our 'power' (spiritual gifts, evangelizing) and is working through us. We aren't channeling God. God is using us!

2) Doubt and fear are natural, but they're pointless. They aren't a weakness, they are what create weaknesses.

See, this devo didn't have as much of a point now as it will, 'cause my next big devotions are gonna be based on the power of story. My primary examples are gonna be comic book characters, so I'll be using comics to make most of my points.