Beyond heroism

One of the common Filipino folklore characters is the epitome of the so-called Ermetanyo. He is a personified being who lives to himself, by himself, and for himself. This man spends his life in a distant place, usually in the jungle alone and away from a community. And if one ever exists, I couldn’t help but think how such person understands life and his being as a whole. With this personification, I am hard-pressed to find the answers to these two outstanding questions. First, what does it really mean to become human? So, a journey back to the Garden leads me to a fundamental understanding of what it means to be human, the right way to live, and the responsibilities of human as “supreme being” God ever created. I thought I have understood our supremacy; that we are born to live in a community, and that we are to carry out our responsibilities. But the next question struck me. Am I really becoming and being what God intended me to be?

Just recently, the world has crowned two Filipino icons for their achievements and contributions in their respective arena: Manny Pacquiao in sports and Efren Peñaflorida in education. More importantly, the Filipino people and the global community look up to them as heroes because they brought pride to the nation and inspire others. Pacquiao always acknowledges God in public in every fight he won. Peñaflorida unleashed the hero within himself through the “push-cart classroom” for the poor as he believed it is his calling. Perhaps they have become what God intended them to be. I wonder how their mind accepts the praises of people. I have nothing against them, but looking through the eyes of people who call them heroes, I can read a story that is reflected in Gideon’s time. The Israelites started to worship him after his victorious deliverance for them against their enemies. They’d no longer recognize God and He was taken out of place. These are my observations:
•The idea of looking for a hero is focused to the person himself not to God who enables the person.
•Our hunger for pride can make us proud rather than dependent on God.
•Inspiring others does not mean attracting toward oneself, but motivating them away to go beyond themselves for others.

Becoming what God intended me to be? I can say I’m on a journey. And in this journey, it would be best to learn from other people rather being alone like the Ermetanyo. And as Youth Pastor, I must be cautioned not to act like a hero to the young people, but a person who reflects the love of God and the image of Christ. It’s my job to let them learn that God is the reason for everything that I do. It’s not my might, not my power, but by the Spirit of the LORD. I believe I have inspired them best if they’re drawn to Christ rather to me.

Confident in His grace

"Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do (Judges 7:17).

These words reflect the kind of leader Gideon was. He knew what to do. He modeled what he knew. And he asked the people to do what he modeled. And to sum up in one word, it’s about confidence. Gideon gained confidence despite of his doubts and series of testing God. He allowed Gideon to test Him for Gideon’s sake and to accomplish His plan for Israelites. For to God, He will do what it takes to empower whom he called to establish his purpose.

I’ve seen how faithful God is in my life. Whenever I’m off the course, He redirects me to his path. He is really patient with me not because I am the only person who can carry the task. But His love for me urges him to become patient. He could assign the task to someone else, yet despite of my shortcomings he purposely chose me so that at the end of the day, my life becomes the glory of his son Jesus. And if I become successful, I have nothing to be proud of. It’s because of his grace. It’s all about him.