Wesley had a dinner and a movie night, and Batman Begins was the feature presentation of the evening. This isn’t the type of movie I would generally watch on my own, but it is a great movie, as I’m sure is The Dark Knight (note: still haven’t seen it). I only saw maybe the first and last 30 minutes of the movie because we went outside to listen to the Obama speech at the Democratic National Convention (awesome!!). Somewhere during the last 30 minutes while Batman is flying around trying to save Gotham City, he flies his childhood friend Rachel Dawes to safety after a nearly fatal accident. Just as he is getting ready to leave she says,
“Wait! You could die. At least tell me your name.”
and Batman replies with,
“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”
The thought that what we do defines who we are as a person seems so simple but yet so intricate and complicated at the same time. Do we see ourselves differently than other people see us? How would I be defined? And would I be happy with that form of judgement?
I don’t think I would be happy with being defined by what I do on a daily basis. Yes, I am a student, a christian, a good friend, a cashier at Target, etc. While these things make me part of the person I want to be, I also feel like my life is missing a large piece that’s vital to my happiness. But what is it? I have been asking God this question for about 2 months now. I’ve been asking Him to take over and lead me the direction I’m supposed to go with my life; Maybe give me some answers as to what I’m supposed to be doing with my time here. So far, I feel as though my response is on level zero. Nothing. So how do I achieve the ultimate goal of doing something that defines me in the way I would want to be defined and that makes me happy, when I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing?
Coincidentally, Pastor Jim’s sermon this morning was on almost the same topic. In Matthew, chapter 16 (for those of you who will reference), Jesus asks the disciples what the word on the street is about Him. He wants to know what people say about Him, and what people call Him. The disciples respond by telling Jesus they’ve heard him compared to Jeremiah, Elijah, John the Baptist, and/or the other prophets. Then Jesus asks the disciples who they think He is, and Simon Peter tells Jesus he is the Messiah. Then Jesus defined Peter, telling him who he was, and labeling him as a follower of Christ and a leader of the church. The disciples knew who Jesus was, and that he was so extraordinary a person just by the way he lived and what he did with his life, and likewise, Jesus knows who we are, and how to define each and every one of us.
How is it so simple to define Jesus and so hard to define ourselves? And why is it so hard to figure out how I want to be defined?
Defining ourselves is a daily task. The simple day to day things like caring for someone, being humble and forgiving, loving another person, being a good listener, and all the other simple things we can do every day. That’s what helps define who we are. And maybe the piece of definition that’s missing isn’t going to come as a bright yellow flashing sign with arrows pointing me in the right direction. Maybe I need to take Pastor Jim’s advice and just go for it. Just do something. We are all on a journey that we create for ourselves, and it’s time for me to make a change in my path and direction. I’m ready to take a risk and do something without knowing 100% that it’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m ready to really put my trust in God that my risks and decisions will lead me in the direction He wants me to go. And hopefully along the journey I’ll find my purpose, and true, genuine, absolute joy.
