Rings, Horcruxes, and Mockingjays

I love fiction.  I love fiction so much so, that there are times when I could easily whittle away hours talking about my favorite characters, and parts, of various books and movies (as I am sure my family and friends can testify to).

Well, the other morning I was sitting in church struggling with being heartbroken over one of these stories, and frustrated that sometimes they can affect me so strongly.  Instead of just being a story, the characters become almost as friends and loved ones, and I mourn their loss.  I sat analyzing (probably over-analyzing, truth be told) the deep desires that could prompt my heart to react so strongly, and came up with two main things.  One, there are always deep friendships forged in such tales, and my heart longs for that type of community and intimacy.  For someone always moving around, loneliness can be a pretty common companion.  The other is a sense of purpose.  In most fantasy and adventure novels, the hero or heroine has a mission; something that they must do in order to win the war and save the day.  In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo must go to Mount Doom and destroy the ring.  In Harry Potter, Harry must find and destroy all of the horcruxes before he faces Lord Voldemort; and in The Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss must become the Mockingjay, the face of the rebellion, to inspire the people to rise up.  

A few years ago, as many of you might remember, the books Wild at Heart and Captivating (by John and Stasi Eldredge) came out, highlighting that desire to be a part of something bigger, a great adventure.  It is so true.  I definitely struggle most with getting attached to characters when I am in a waiting, or seemingly stagnate, period.   My heart cries to be a part of something, to rise up, to use my gifts, to make a difference.  Adrenaline runs through my veins, screaming for me to charge ahead and just go.  When waiting, it does not feel like I am part of anything, it does not feel like I have a purpose, it does not feel like I have a mission. 

Later on in that church service, we watched a video on the persecuted church around the world, and it woke me up… how could I forget that we are at war?  How could I have lost sight of the fact that exactly what I have been given is a mission; something the Lord has asked me to do to reach His people and thwart the enemy’s plan?  Just because I have not been dragged out of my home with a gun to my head does not mean that God has not placed me on the battlefield yet.  On the contrary, the enemy is here, now, and would like nothing better than to stop me from ever getting to Italy; but as Paul says (1 Cor. 15:57), “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory in our Lord Jesus Christ!”

So, with a renewed sense of urgency, I take up the call… who will send me?  The Lord has called me out to a foreign land, and I do not know His plans, nor do I know what’s coming.  I may yet have to face the persecution that some of our brethren face every day, or I may never, but I know one thing, I need not fear.  We have the victory!  We have the victory, but we are at war and we must fight; both in the waiting, and in the going.

 

P.S – I have some exciting news, so look for my newsletter in the next few days!!!