Friday, May 25, 2012

On Heroism and Chuck


But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD. 
Jeremiah 1:7-8
There is a television series that gives me hope as a man. It’s called Chuck. It’s about a regular old computer genius who mistakingly receives a supercomputer in his brain containing all the secrets of the CIA and NSA, along with some physical abilities like Kung Fu, sharp shooting, gymnastics, and Tango. The series explores how a regular guy becomes a hero, and it may be a bit different than you might think.
I am not your typical heroic figure. So you can imagine that stories of nerds and geeks who behave heroically are a serious draw for me. They show us what heroism truly is. 

http://www.kera.org/2012/05/22/truths-about-fear-and-courage/ 


I recently heard an interview with Dr. Gordon Livingston, a West Point graduate who has become a psychiatrist and author of the book The Thing You Think You Cannot Do. Above is the link to the audio of the interview. A statement Dr. Livingston made that caught my attention was his assertion that our idea of heroism has become skewed over the past 100 or so years. Instead of to truly great men who demonstrate moral and physical fortitude in extreme and dangerous circumstances, we attribute heroism to game players, strongmen, and the people who can take out a horde of bad guys with the flex of his bicep. Our heros tend to be terribly flawed characters who make awful decisions, or have the label of hero because of the uniform they wear.
Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. William Shakespeare

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." 
Joshua 1:9
Maybe our culture should reexamine our definition of heroism. Maybe courage and heroism are more about the right choices we make under duress than about our position, talent, abilities, or even the branch of the military we enter. Maybe the greatness to which we should aspire is allowing the Lord to work within our weakness to accomplish His purposes.
And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 
We see the antithesis of this over and over again in the book of Judges, which C.S. Lewis suggests should be renamed “Champions”. With each successive champion the Lord raises to deliver Israel, the choices they make are worse and worse, and the story becomes bleaker and bleaker. Then enters Samson, perhaps the most impressive and apparently heroic of them all, yet his choices and his story are the worst yet.
I am not a heroic figure by cultural standards. I am not physically impressive, athletically talented, or politically motivated. But if I, like Chuck, can work within the gifts I have been given to work for the good of those around me, for God’s glory to place the well being of my friends and family above my own, and commit to do what is right no matter what it costs me, I may just be able to become a hero to those I care about the most.
By the way, the actor who plays Chuck is a professing believer in Christ, living in Hollywood. So Zachari Levi may be even more heroic than the character he plays.

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