I am the Villain In This Story

I read the Bible.  When I read the Bible I do what I feel like a lot of people probably do; I try to draw life lessons from the characters that I read about.  I want to be like them.

I want to have the faith of Noah when I’m told to do something by God. I want the endurance of Nehemiah when everyone around me is telling me that what I’m doing is stupid.  I want the courage of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Aben-dego in the heart of the den or the furnace.  I want to be the one that stands in front of the crowd and proclaims the good news, even while they accuse me of being crazy, drunk, or stupid.

I even want to be the savior sometimes.  I want to save people from themselves, show them the right path, heal their pain, and change their lives.

I want to be the hero of the story.

The terrifying realization that I have come to though is that I am very rarely the hero, and I am most certainly not the savior.

I am Noah’s taunters.

“Why in the world would you build your family in such a way that you drag them all away around the world to do mission work?  That’s dangerous!  I just don’t believe that God would actually call you to do that.  You’re crazy”

I am the crowd that hated Nehemiah’s wall.

“What do you mean God told you to try to rebuild your relationship with them?  Don’t you know what he/she did to you is just going to happen again?  It will never stand up against pressure anyway!  Come down here and start over again somewhere else!

I am Nebuchadnezzar. 

“What do you mean you don’t like the program I’ve built here? The music?  The games?  The way I teach?  You should be worshiping through this, and if you don’t like it then that’s your problem, I’ll just have to throw you out  and ask you to go somewhere else!  If that causes you to walk away from the faith and ultimately find your way into the furnace than that’s your problem, not mine.”

I am the Jerusalem crowd.

“I don’t agree with that so you must be stupid, crazy or a heretic.  Either way I don’t want to hear it.

Most of the time I am the villain of the story.   

Thank God his grace covers villains most of all.