Legendary Lives

20. December 2007 by BruceSmith.

Legends are not born, they are made. That often repeated refrain has a distinct ring of truth to it, does it not? Take, for example, the story of a guy named Paul. Paul was bright, interesting, well-groomed, trained in high society, a part of the upper crust, and one who had the power to make or break others outside of his class, religion, and agenda.

For all of his youth, adolescence, and adulthood, Paul lived a privileged and comfortable existence, and he was well respected if not totally feared by many. One day, however, all of this changed. What looked like the life any would hunger to be born into was called into question in an instant. In that one defining moment Paul’s life was dramatically redirected, his ambitions refocused, and his drives recalibrated. Paul went from being a man of privilege and power to becoming a man devoted to humility, service to others, and sacrifice for those he once took advantage of.

If the story sounds familiar its because I am describing the life of the Apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul. As the story goes, Saul, a member of the elite, was a threat to the Christian community. He, in fact, spent his life seeing to it that these “followers of the way” were beaten, imprisoned, and even stoned to death. Saul was a killer. Yet, in a moment, as God revealed Himself to him, and as Paul saw who Saul really was, he was, like Isaiah (see Isaiah chapter 6) undone. Recognizing for the first time that the purpose of life lay beyond himself and his ideologies, Paul asked God for a complete transformation of his heart.

As history tells us, Paul became one of the foremost figures in all of Christendom, and spread the message of God around the world. Paul, once a killer of Jesus’ followers, became His most devoted champion and promoter of “the way”. Rather than giving beatings to others, he took body blows in the name of Christ. Rather than imprison others, he allowed himself to be chained for the gospel. Rather than stone others to death, Paul willingly endured the vicious pounding of his own flesh in order to spread the message. This legend, once born into class and privilege, saw his life captured by the Lover of his soul and he became a new man, a better man, a larger than life figure. Paul made the journey from being a self-absorbed, power hungry, religious zealot to becoming a rescuer of others.

In dramatic fashion, Paul’s life demonstrates how we are all made into the people God desires us to be. In reality, God’s goal is for each of us to make that journey. His aim for us is to travel along “the way” in order that we might know Him and that we might become rescuers of others. The element of rescue, I would suggest, is the essential element of a true legend. Its true of Zorro, Superman, Batman, the Fantastic Four, Legend, and Jesus Himself. Legends are meant to rescue.

The first step for Paul, and for us, as we make the journey toward becoming rescuers is a turn in focus. No rescuer lives up to the title with a focus on self. Rather, Coast Guard members, Navy Seals, paratroopers, superheroes, and all true rescuers must place the focus on others. Saving another requires an outward focus. This was true of Jesus as He willingly left His rightful place in Heaven to bring rescue to us who needed it so desperately. He risked, and willingly gave, His own life that we might live.

This risking of one’s own life was what ultimately defined Will Smith in Legend. Each and every day of his life, in that post-human world, was devoted to finding away to make things good again. His repeated mantra throughout the film, “I can fix this”, is the motto for all rescuers. Set aflame with the love of God and redefined by the power of God, each of us have the ability to live outside of ourselves and toward the “fixing” of others. Our hunger, as it was for Legend, is for things and people to be good again.

The passion to right the world and to see hearts restored and lives set right is the mark of those who are living legendary lives. Whether you are working daily in a hands on manner toward that end or if you are contributing funds, prayer, and encouragement to others on the front line, you know the overwhelming sense of satisfaction which comes from knowing that you are living a life that is bigger than yourself.

I have seen this rescuer spirit in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In the months following the devastation many have come to the Gulf Coast area to help in the rebuilding efforts. The church where I am a member has now brought in over 10,000 volunteers to aid in “rescuing” people’s lives, homes, and futures. It is inspiring to watch, and its very contagious. Even the likes of Brad Pitt are still pushing hard to aid in the rescue efforts in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. As Brad has discovered, and just as Paul found out, life is bigger than fame, power, and privilege. Life as it was meant to be lived is experienced as we perform legendary acts of love and kindness.

This kind of rescuing love is what propelled Mother Theresa to live a life devoted to the poorest among us. It is this kind of love which motivates wealthy businessmen to give of their time, effort and money to building orphanages in the Aids plagued regions of Africa. And it is this kind of rescuing passion which compels us to live each day, in every interaction, according to Jesus’ rescue manifesto found in the Sermon on the Mount.

The legend’s modus operandi for living is the counter-cultural life presented in the beatitudes. This is the “you have heard it said…but I say to you…” teachings of Jesus. The way of the world suggests that we repay evil with evil. The legend’s course is to repay evil and persecution with love and forgiveness. The way of the world instructs us to embrace pleasure without boundaries. The way of the legend is to remember that pleasure without boundaries leads to a devaluation of the soul. The way of the world is to cut bait and run when the going gets tough. The way of the legend sees great value in sticking to one’s commitments even amidst great obstacles and challenge. The way of the world leads the hurting heart to strike out in rage and anger when threatened. The way of the legend is a path which leads one to embrace a course of patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. The way of the world is to risk nothing if no immediate individual benefit can be realized. The way of the legend is to risk everything for the sake of the rescue effort and those being rescued.

And so, the goal for those who wish to pursue a life of overwhelming contentment and meaning is to find that place of rescue service and jump head first. All around us everyday (at the coffee shop, in the workplace, in our families, on the road, in our schools, on the ball field, at the gym, …) are people who are living quiet lives of desperation longing to be rescued from a mundane existence. Some are actually screaming out through their hurt and pain (often disguised in deceptively attractive ways) for a rescuer.

The call, the hope, and the high privilege we each have is that we, through our own rescue in Christ, can find the healing and help to “make things good again” for others. Are we listening to them? Can we hear the quiet desperation of those hanging on by a breath? Are we willing to allow ourselves to sense the true hunger of the souls around us? Are we willing to offer them life, rescue? Are we up to living the dream life of a true legend? Are we willing to lead others to listen to their own soul’s cry for “More!”

Mary Oliver, an award winning poet, captures these questions and realities in the following line:

Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?

Live a legendary life. Go rescue someone.

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.com

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