God has given us a part to play in his story. And often this entails opportunities to use our strength to come through on behalf of others. But while we get to play the hero from time to time, it’s important to remain humble and remember the story is not about us. God remains the true hero in his story, and we simply get to reflect his strength.
Of course, we enjoy being there for others – helping to solve problems, break through barriers, and provide the resources needed to thrive. And we were given our strength for these very purposes.
But it’s a mistake to assume that just because we have a strength to offer that we’re the center of the story – that others are ultimately dependent upon us for their life and goodness. While life and goodness come through us, we are not the true source. And unwittingly we set ourselves up as God when we assume otherwise.
And so, on the one hand, we get to fight battles, rescue the beauty, and relish in the heroic adventures God has given us to live. At the same time, we remember our humble place in God’s story – giving him the glory he’s due.
For instance, we should be our wife’s hero every chance we get. But this doesn’t make her life, her happiness, or her joy dependent on us. We become controlling and she starts to suffocate under our expectations when we do.
The same is true with our kids. We rightly serve as role models pointing them in the way they should go. But we do not replace God in their lives. And our pride is getting the best of us when we assume we must be everything for them.
To be sure, this plays out at work, at church, and in public service as well – getting an inflated sense of our importance and the role we play in God’s story.
Heroically play the part God has given you to play to bring more life and goodness into the world. And remain humble – remembering God is the true hero of the story and we’re simply reflections of his strength.
Photo by Sam Moghadam Khamseh on Unsplash
