Luke, Moses, Jonah and The Call
Responsibility = Adventure
“There’s no difference between responsibility and adventure” is something said by Jordan Peterson in his most recent chat with Joe Rogan. I scribbled that one down as soon as I heard it. It resonated for a few reasons, chief among them that accepting responsibility in my own life around age 20 led me to the life I have now…with a beautiful wife of 13 years and an equally lovely daughter of 13. The adventure has been unbelievable and has taken me in so many directions I didn’t anticipate.
Like most individuals faced with that kind of crossroad moment, I didn’t initially know which road to take. I resisted the path of responsibility, however briefly.
Luke Skywalker had this kind of hinge moment in Star Wars: Episode IV. He had always dreamed of leaving Tatooine. He talks about it with his best friend, Biggs, who is packing his bags to leave and join the Rebellion. Then Obi-Wan Kenobi gives Luke an opportunity when he says “You must learn the ways of the Force and come with me to Alderaan.”
You must. Not should.
Luke evades. “I can’t get involved.”
Yeah right. He was scared of change and more content to dream about leaving home than actually doing it. But fate forced Luke’s hand when the Empire burned his home to the ground, killing his Aunt and Uncle in the process.
Now there was nothing for Luke on Tatooine. He agrees to go with Obi-Wan. Hardly a heroic motivation. He had run out of excuses for doing what he knew to be right.
Like the Force of Star Wars, God also has a way of compelling proper action and walking the path of responsibility. The whole reason Jonah ended up inside a whale was because he refused to heed God’s command to travel to Nineveh and preach against its evil and corruption.
Moses was commanded by God to be his champion in confronting the Pharaoh of Egypt and freeing the Israelites, but he relented.
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh —- Please send someone else.”
Jonah fled God and was taken in by a whale till he came to his senses. Luke Skywalker had to lose everything in a very Job-like tragedy.
What are you running from that you’ve been called to do?
It’s true that not all of us are meant to go on grand adventures. We shouldn’t be seeking out what the culture considers “adventure”… mountains, skydiving, cross-country treks, and living off the grid for fun….instead, think of adventure as taking responsibility, or doing what must be done.
1 Timothy 2:2 says “live peaceful and quiet lives” and for some of us, that’s exactly what we’ve been called to do. Raise kids, go to work, love our spouses, and pay bills. Why? It might be your child or their child who God will call on for some kind of dangerous physical adventure….and your job is to feed and educate that person so they can one day do it.
I know of something that I’m running from which I feel called to do.
What about you?