Geeks know stuff.
Yesterday we began a new blog series, “Geeks Know.” We explored how Geeks know what it means to live for a cause and challenged each other to move from theory to reality.
Today’s truth: Geeks know courage.
Especially movie geeks.
Geeks Know.
- We’ve watched Neo face down an eerie Agent Smith, giving himself to save Morpheus and eventually, Zion.
- We’ve watched Luke Skywalker confront his dark-caped tyrant father, Darth Vader.
- We’ve watched Ripley take on a Xenomorph queen with a forklift mech to save a little girl.
- We’ve watched Leonidas bellow, “If you want our weapons, come and take them,” to half a million Persian warriors trudging up the beach towards his men.
- We’ve watched Elastigirl stretch to supernatural lengths to rescue her Mr. Incredible.
- We’ve watched Frodo volunteer to take the ring back to the fires of Mount Doom, and watched his friends offer their chorus of commitment to support him.
- We’ve watched Maximus Decimus Meridius defy the evil Emperor Commodus.
- We’ve watched William Wallace die a bloody death on a torture rack for the future freedom of his fellow Scots.
- We’ve watched Katniss face down a corrupt system oppressing lone Districts who have forgotten what freedom is.
- We’ve watched Gandalf plunge to his doom, snagged by the flaming Balrog to whom he declared, “You… shall not… passssss!”
- We’ve watched Sarah Connor give up everything she wanted in life to protect her son, the hope of the future.
- We’ve watched it a thousand times, maybe more—even hiding in ‘chick flicks’ like The Notebook: Unflinching courage, uncompromising commitment, inspiring follow through.
Geeks Know.
We’ve felt that courage coursing through our veins like a transfusion of raw heroism. We’ve imagined ourselves fighting on that beach, facing that army, making our stand on that causeway, in those shoes, in that arena. Imagined ourselves swinging those swords, taking those hits, gritting our teeth, clenching our weapon, rising to those heights.
And we love it. We can’t get enough of the stuff. But where is that courage, that commitment, that sacrifice in real life?
Where is the “one ring” of our wedding vows when we’ve had a brutal day at work and the dishes are piled into two towers that need conquering because our spouse is worse off than we are?
Where is the force of our courage when our friends and family are headed down a path we know isn’t good for them and a confrontation is what’s needed?
Where is the blue war paint when the world needs us to die to ourselves for the sake of other’s freedom?
Where are the “You shall not pass” prayers of authority when our family needs us to stand between them and the onslaught of a devilish attack (wrapped in flesh, or otherwise?)
All of these warriors, all of these epic stands against darkness and death, each of those stories point to the Ultimate bloody sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He died for us, not so that we wouldn’t have to die sacrificially, but that we could follow in his footsteps. So that our dying becomes part of a tidal wave of love and power coursing through the pages of time.
“Take up your cross and follow me.”
We are Christian geeks. The courageous ones. The fighters. The lovers. The servants. The singers. The dancers. The dying. The resurrected. The eternal children of the heroic King of all kings, Lord of all lords, Hero of all heroes, God of all gods.
More than conquerers.