Musings

Heroes are born in action, not inaction.

Ele Musael

We all know superheroes, don’t we? Those hunks in the tight suits and gals in tight suits also. Those people with superpowers like flight, x-ray vision, superhuman strength, and all the other stuff. We may even have our own favourite superheroes.

But those are only in comics and stories. I guess no one has ever seen a real live superhero like those. They are just fictional characters, made up by man at times as a sign of hope, escape. But we have heroes. Real heroes who walk among us. These heroes are the ones who are really making an impact, and saving the world. These are real people we can look up to and strive to be like.

There are many different heroes. There are the ‘big’ heroes. Those who are abolishing slavery, those trying to get rid of hardcore poverty, those who are trying to save lives through advances in medicine, technology, those who strive to create awareness, those who fight for the rights of others. Then there are heroes who just save a few lives, or do small acts of bravery, or small acts of kindness. A person who dares to run into a burning building to save children trapped inside is a hero. So is a person who is willing to dive in to save another person who’s drowning. And also a teenager who is willing to face a violent dog to save someone else who is being attacked by that dog. A person who decides to be kind to someone marginalised, 'not cool'. Someone who chooses to stand for someone else who is victimised, bullied, exploited. All these are also heroes. These heroes, they do things not for themselves, not for selfish ambition but for others. Joseph Campbell said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” A hero looks outward for the needs of others, not inwards to the wants of oneself.

What makes a hero though? What makes them heroes, and us commoners? What sets these heroes apart from the norm? Do they have anything extra, like superhero abilities? I don’t think so. The real heroes are just people too. Humans, just like us. So what makes them different? What is the X-factor in them?

To me, one key difference, is that heroes take action. Heroes are born in action, not inaction. They are there at the right place and the right time. But many other people are also at the right place and the right time. Then why only a few become heroes, while the others are not? It is because the heroes act. They see the need, and they act without much hesitation. The others just watch, and become spectators by the sidelines. If you do not act, you become a spectator. The real heroes act when they see that something needs to be done. Often times, we see what needs to be done, we are concerned about those needs of others, but we hope someone else will do something about it. And in doing so, we become spectators, or worse, mere complainers.

Yes, there may be fears of acting, of taking action. Fears of the risk, the challenges, and all that. But while a normal person would shrink and quiver, heroes still act. They see the risks, the challenges, like everyone else, but they choose to look beyond that and take action. To do something and not be paralysed by that fear. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” Heroes still feel fear, but they rise above that fear.

For those who fight continuously, sometimes things get too overwhelming. More challenges arrive, each greater than the one before. Mountains that weren’t there before now tower over the individual. At these, it seems easy to just let go, and give up the fight. And many do. They may have been passionate about what they do before, giving their all, pushing boundaries. But then things get out of hand. Things get too hard it seems. And so one’s work is not done, unfinished, either wasted, or just dormant, waiting for someone else to continue the fight. Here, Christopher Reeve said something interesting. He said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Here, the hero does not give up. He presses on, determined to complete what he started. He looks to God, inside himself, and to others around him to continue on.

So there. We can all be heroes if we want to. All we need is to see the need, act on it, and persevere. Of course, don’t be stupid and jump into things you know you can never make it, like jumping in to save a drowning person when you can’t swim. Exercise wisdom. Romain Rolland once said, “A hero is a man who does what he can.” Be a hero, do what you can. It doesn’t matter if it’s just being nice to someone ‘different’, or being there for someone in need, or the ‘bigger’ things. You can be a hero in your own capacity.

I will close with just a bunch of quotes from different people. The quotes just seem to fit and so I will let them do the talking.

You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone, which can become a watered-down, occasional hope that you'll get to tomorrow. Intention without action is useless.
Caroline Myss

You really can change the world if you care enough.
Marian Wright Edelman

It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do.
Moliere

I have one life and one chance to make it count for something . . . I'm free to choose what that something is, and the something I've chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands -- this is not optional -- my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.
Jimmy Carter

And finally, a poem, and a song.

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Edward Everett Hale

Hero, by Superchic[k]
*This is not the official music video, but I feel it says quite a lot.

No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him
Cause you want to belong do you go along?
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It's not like you hate him or want him to die
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side
Any kindness from you might have saved his life

Heroes are made when you make a choice

You could be a hero
Heroes do what's right
You could be a hero
You might save a life
You could be a hero, You could join the fight
For what's right for what's right for what's right

No one talks to her, she feels so alone
She's in too much pain to survive on her own
The hurt she can't handle overflows to a knife
She writes on her arm, wants to give up her life
Each day she goes on is a day that she is brave
Fighting the lie that giving up is the way
Each moment of courage her own life she saves
When she throws the pills out a hero is made

Heroes are made when you make a choice

You could be a hero
Heroes do what's right
You could be a hero
You might save a life
You could be a hero, You could join the fight
For what's right for what's right for what's right

Little Mikey D. was the one in class who everyday got brutally harassed
This went on for years until he decided that never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door, grabbed a four four out of his father's dressing drawer
And said I can't take life no more
And like that life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back and watched it happen
Thinkin' it's not my responsibility to solve a problem that isn't about me
This is our problem
This is just one of the daily scenarios which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice and be the voice for those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged
Now it's our time to pick a side
So don't keep walkin' by
Not wantin' to intervene
Cause you wanna exist and never be seen
So let's wake up and change the world
Our time is now

You could be a hero (Our time is now)
Heroes do what's right
You could be a hero (Our time is now)
You might save a life
You could be a hero, (Our time is now) You could join the fight
For what's right

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I was listening to the song “The Wonderful Cross” the other time, and listening to the lyrics. It really is a powerful song, with much meaning in the lyrics. I, however, will only highlight one particular portion of the song, which is the first part of chorus. The lyrics are as follows:

Oh the wonderful cross
Oh the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die
And find that I may truly live

Now isn’t it funny? That we come and die, only to find that we truly live. Our Lord Jesus Christ said so Himself in Matthew 26:24-25.

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Another record of Him saying this is in Mark 8:34-35. So the Christian life is interesting. That in death, we find life. Well the first is of course Christ’s death, whereby with His blood He redeemed the whole of mankind, paying for our sins. And in the process, He transfers His righteousness onto us, and we gain eternal life. So that’s one.

Then there’s the other, which is what the song sings about. Dying to self in life, to find true life on earth. This is where we let go of ourselves, surrendering it to God, and let Him inhabit our whole lives, and there we find life in God. Life to the fullest. John 10:10b says “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” And so when Jesus comes and takes over life, then we find what life really is.

Back to dying to self. Normally we’d refer to those selfish, sinful bits, which is correct. For God to really work in our lives, those parts must die so He can be our all. But those are not all that needs to die. What struck me is that not just those parts, but also those hurting parts, broken parts, those shadows of ourselves that we have. All those past hurts that defined us before, all those need to die together with the sinful side. And then we receive our new image and identity, the one given by God to us. II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Only when we die, and let Christ inhabit all of us, will we be alive and as fruitful as God intended us to be. In John 12:24-25, Jesus says “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life in this world will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Verse 25 speaks to me in two ways. The first is if you love the life you’re living now so much that you don’t want what Christ has to offer, that is salvation, then you lose your life for eternity. The second, which I want to put forth, is where we cling on so tightly to what we think we are, and wanting to be in control of our lives, not surrendering our lives to God and let Him reign, then we lose our chance to live life to the fullness that He has for us. And when that opportunity is passed, it is also gone for eternity. We have lost our lives, the "life to the fullest" life, then.

The chorus of the song “Lead Me to the Cross” says:

Lead me to the cross
Where your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

Let us allow Jesus to lead us to the cross, and there we lay down our past self, the hurts, the sin, and our flesh, letting it die there at the cross, letting Christ’s death and sacrifice pay for it all, and take on the image He has for us. Only then, will we find true freedom. A death so sweet, surrender so free. The lyrics of the song, ‘Beautiful the Blood’, written by Louie Giglio, sung by Steve Fee, becoming real in our lives.

Note: This is the real lyrics. Some errors in the video

I never knew death could be so sweet
I never knew surrender could be so free
I’ve never seen such meekness and majesty
That the blood of Jesus was bled for me

And now I sing freedom for all of my days
It’s only by the power of the cross I’m raised
The King of glory rescued me

How beautiful the blood flowed, How merciful the love showed
The King of glory poured out, Victorious are we now

I never knew these nails would love unfold
I never knew these wounds would heal my soul
I’ve never seen such beauty and sorrow meet
That the blood of Jesus was bled for me

And now I sing freedom for all of my days
It’s only by the power of the cross I’m raised
The King of glory rescued me

How beautiful the blood flowed, How merciful the love showed
The King of glory poured out, Victorious are we now

And now I sing freedom for all of my days
It’s only by the power of the cross I’m raised
The King of glory rescued me

How beautiful the blood flowed, How merciful the love showed
The King of glory poured out, Victorious are we now

How beautiful You are, How merciful You are
How glorious You are, Christ our Saviour
How beautiful You are, How merciful You are
How glorious You are, Christ our Saviour

Louie Giglio, sung by Steve Fee

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Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Eph 6:10,11

I think most of us Christian’s know the Armour of God, or at least heard of it. To those who do not, it is an analogy which Paul, an apostle of old, used. He viewed Christian life as a kind of warfare, and if you really look closely, in many ways it is. To some, it may be a literal war for their lives, where they strive to live as Christians, while to most of us, it is more figurative. We are constantly bombarded with attacks from Satan. There is a war going on over control of our lives, and we are part of it. The Armour of God is in a passage in the Bible. It is in Ephesians (Eph) 6:14-17. Well, I went through it a while back with some people I know, and I just realised a few new things (at least to me) about it. Let’s have a look shall we?

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Eph 6:14-18

So what did struck me this time? Well it is what the pieces of armour are linked to and where they are meant to be worn. Let’s look at it one by one.

Truth is likened to a belt, the belt of truth. What does a belt do? It holds things together. It is meant to prevent pieces of clothing from falling off or falling apart, keeping them on the wearer, allowing them to do what they were intended to do. Likewise, truth holds things together. It is truth that is able to hold systems, morals, and governments together. All of these need to be based on truth to stand firm. Lies will fall apart when exposed, and with it whatever that was built on it. Only truth can bind.

Next is the breastplate of righteousness. As the name implies, a breastplate is meant to cover the chest. It therefore also covers the heart. Interesting that righteousness is used to cover and protect the heart. The heart can be said to be the core or center of humans. From it, all things flow. It guides the person in the way he thinks and acts. How true are the words of Christ in Luke 6:45 “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart the mouth speaks.” For that reason, the heart is one of the places that is attacked and attempted to be corrupted most besides the mind. For with the corruption of the heart, most of the battle would have been won. How suitable it is then that righteousness, or in some translations integrity, be the one that guards the heart. Are we being righteous, or at least try to be? Do we have integrity? Are we able to hold to our standards when challenging situations come before us?

Then is the feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. Now why the gospel of peace is to be worn on the feet? The feet are the parts of the body that enable us to move, to go places. It brings us to where we want to go, or even where we may not want to go. We go everywhere with our feet. For the gospel of peace to be on our feet is to remind us that we are to be agents of God’s peace wherever we go. We are to bring God’s peace to the people, to bring them comfort and good news. We shouldn’t be the ones to cause disharmony and disunity, but to be the ones who will bring it to wherever we are, whether at home, at school, college, our work place, even the church. Also, there is the word readiness. We need to be ready to deliver the gospel when the time is right. Are we adequately prepared for it whenever God calls us to? Or when the floodgates are opened?

The shield of faith to extinguish the fiery arrows. We are attacked in many ways, but I would like to draw our attention to a few in particular. To me, the fiery arrows that are mentioned here are especially doubt and fear. These two are sowed in our hearts by the devil as well as sometimes coming from ourselves. These two are really powerful weapons against us actually. They can cripple us, stopping us from stepping out and doing the things we should have been doing, being the change where we are. Fear and doubt can cause us to not work out God’s plan for our lives, rendering us useless and ineffective. And so faith is the way to overcome these. Faith to silence the doubts and fears within us. Faith to believe in God’s plans for us, our communities, our nation. And faith to step out and do, not just hope. A shield can also be used in offence. A shield can be used to knock the opponent off balance, to shove him aside. Likewise, faith can be used to knock Satan off balance. Have the faith to speak into situations and throw off Satan’s plans in those situations and circumstances. The shield should be used in conjunction with the sword to be complete, both defensively and offensively.

On our heads, the helmet of salvation. Here salvation is placed over our heads, or we can say our minds. Our minds is what gives us the ability of thought. With it we think of all sorts of things, and process whatever information. As mentioned earlier, this is another part that is frequently attacked. In ways, insecurity, doubt and fear also affects our minds, making us irrational at times, to worry too much. To me, the salvation being over our heads can serve two things. One, is to remind us that we are saved. We are assured of our salvation, and in so keep out doubts and insecurities about our status with God. But the other function is equally important. It is there on our heads to remind us that we are God’s agents. It is to remind us that we are saved, and we should thus live likewise, to be changed, a new creation in God. The head is a part of the body that everyone can see. It is up there in man’s line of sight. Anything that is placed on our heads, will be seen by others. That is why people make headbands and headgear to support their favourite teams, because it will be there for display, showing others who they are allied to. And so because we are allied to Christ, we put on the helmet to display that we are His. And it reminds us to live out as His agents, to do something, to be the change and live it out.

And now, the weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Swords are weapons that can be used in offence and defence, depending on how the user or warrior uses it. Likewise, the word of God can be used in offence and defence. A sword can be used to parry, a defensive move to ward off a blow. We can use the word of God to ward off attacks of the devil by claiming God’s word and promises in our lives and for whatever that was spoken by God. And with parrying, we also attack and counterattack. We use the word to come against attacks and to speak life into things. It would be doing as how Jesus did when tempted in the wilderness. He used God’s word to come against the temptations that Satan puts forth, and coming from God’s very own mouth, it would have carried much more weight and power. And so we live by Christ’s example, to speak out the word against Satan. Having a sword is also a form of assurance. We know we are not defenceless and have the means to strike back at the devil. The word of God is full of assurance and comfort. And so we should not fear, and to use it.

Finally, we are to pray in the Spirit always. We have to be ready and alert, to be able to read the signs of the times, and to act when God calls us to. And of course, not forgetting to uphold one another in prayer. The war is tough, and it would be good and wise to support each other in this war. And so pray and listen.

I would like to close with the verse preceding what we have gone through. Eph 6:13 says “Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” It repeats the words 'to stand', as if to say, to stand firm, and to keep standing even through everything. So the question now is are you ready? Are you prepared for battle? Have you put on the full armour and been on watch, alert? Will you be caught off guard when things strikes? Will you be overwhelmed? I pray not. I pray you will be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to still be standing.

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Eph 6:13

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Hello everyone. I am here to apologise for the lack of posts. I too have noticed that it has been a long time since my last post, with rather long gaps between them. I sincerely am sorry for them. The slack is mine and mine only.

Now hopefully the dry spell will be over, or at least, lessened. I have a few posts in the works. I hope to finish them and post them up soon. Looking forward to seeing you here again.

Once again, I'd like to apologise for the huge delays. I thank you for your patience.

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