“I am invincible.”
Yeah, the greatest pain of every university student; exam week, but for some reason I’m not really afraid of it anymore. Haven’t prepared much, haven’t worried much either. That’s a first for me because usually you’d see me either study diligently or rush last minute filled with anxiety. Not now, right now I have bigger things to worry about, more important things to address. I just couldn’t stop thinking about writing, writing the important things, changing the wrong things, focusing on the true picture.
The title reading, “I am invincible” is a line I’ve always wanted to be allowed to say, and to not lie when I say it. Let’s dissect on how I can actually say it now.
“So, what does it mean to be invincible?”
I grew to crave this need for being, invincible, invulnerable, impregnable, primarily as a coping mechanism, I suppose. Coping against the harsh world outside my home, inside my home, outside my heart, inside my heart. A world that broke me, a home that disparaged and ostracized me and a heart that cursed my own self for being so different, for not being ‘enough’, for being me. Truly leabing
Whoa, too gloomy huh? Fret not, that isn’t who I am, in-fact this is how I learnt to be invincible, but before that I have a question.
“When do you truly die?”
Being invincible doesn’t mean you’ll never physically die. Its just that you can’t be physically be hurt. Can’t be impaled, cut, stabbed or cleaved.
Now, I’ll be honest, at 5’7 and around 47 kg (105lbs), I’m not going to be the most physically imposing guy, being invincible is off the table already, haha. On a more serious note, to me being invincible initially meant that I would never feel hurt when people left, when I cared and they wouldn’t, I wouldn’t be hurt. When I am betrayed and you spit in the face of my trust, I will be unaffected. To be kind, benevolent, all that, without being hurt.
But the more I dwelled in this, I understood that I was in-fact cursing my expectation, the expectation to be noticed, to be appreciated, to have someone hold you in value, y’know, the works. After a while, I ended a relationship out of necessity, for the best interest in both of us. Gradually, I grew closer to Jesus and thought more about how I didn’t want to feel this pain anymore, to ‘be invincible’.
“Wanna know what I got?”
Answers, real answers. The answer I got was, we live in a cynical world, not abiding its true design.
“What is the true design?”
To live by loving one another, caring for one another and trusting in the abundance and wisdom of the Lord.
“So, we live in an evil world, so what?”
That’s not the problem, the evil is within us. When the first humans Adam and Eve mess up, they didn’t just disobey God, they took it upon themselves to run the world with their wisdom. To run this complex universe, only God’s wisdom will bring good fruit, and we see it, all those generations of violence, hurt, filth, disgust. But that’s not where the answer lies entirely. The answer is this, God wanted humans to represent Him and rule over this world in His behalf. He, for some reason wanted to share authority and thereby made us in His image, to rule by serving. By loving.
“So, what are you trying to say, bro?”
Alright, ‘bro’, thing is, it never changed, what we are meant to do never changed. We see it when Jesus came here, 2 millennia ago.
In the Sermon of the mount, we see Jesus talk about the ancient laws and how He revolutionizes them in truth. All those ‘turn the other cheek’ lessons, require intense historical context.
Let’s go through them, bit by bit.
Jesus addresses anger and equates it to murder, not because they’re both same, but because anger is the seed that births murder, so by being angry at someone you’ve effectively murdered them in your heart.
He talks about love and adultery in the same manner, because both do one tragic thing, they reject the dignity they have been given by God, by making them in His image.
He talks about loving your enemies, starting with the slap on your cheek thing. Essentially Jesus is telling us to point of their wrong AT the ‘expense’ of yourself.
Turn the other cheek back then meant that the first time you get slapped, it was with the back of the hand. Now, a slap with the back of the hand meant that you didn’t value a person as a person at all, disparaging you. Here, Jesus asks you to freestyle and do something that makes them question their actions, by turning the other cheek, the person now slaps you with an open hand, a gesture that shows violence, this time, by treating you as someone on the same level. Forcing them to think before, and possibly apologize later.
Now, if someone forces you to walk a mile with them, walk with them two, essentially means, when someone forces you to do something, go ahead and do more, to show that YOU are of true divine humanity. Walk a mile as a cart and an extra mile as a willing, travelling, friend.
Then if someone takes your tunic (shirt), give them your cloak (coat). This is particularly interesting to me. Essentially, a cloak back then was the only way a poor person could keep warm, so it was illegal to take it from someone. So, if a person wanted to hurt you, they could take your shirt away instead and still be legally fine. Jesus, being creative, could be telling us to be generous to them and give the cloak, to make others see the injustice that is happening.
The most important lesson, to love everyone, not just your friends, but your enemies in particular. He goes on to tell us to pray for our enemies, to see the bigger picture and love, as He loves us.
“Uh, okay? Now what?”
If you’ve tried to notice, there’s literally no gain to the oppressed here, or so it seems. There is real gain. The gain of character, of righteousness, of understanding, that love is patient and kind. See, Jesus came here to bear the wrath of God, and took the punishment of the maturation of sin, death, died on the cross, He didn’t deserve that, but He did die. He rose from the death 3 days later, conquering the dragon of chaos, the fruit of sinfulness, which is death.
Now, He did this so, when we may believe His resurrection and confess that He is king, we will be saved from death as well…… so, what happens then?
What happens then is we live in a perfect world abiding in love and kindness.
THE END.
(No, really.)
So, we aren’t in the end just yet, but we are called to ‘do righteousness’ even at the expense of ourselves. Even if it hurts us, even if it costs us everything.
The answer is, Loving others is who we were designed to be, and Jesus was the instruction manual.
The world is gray. Hate begets hate. Love, true sacrificial love can kill hate and save the world from being gray to being whole again.
That’s the answer I got from Him. It finally pushed me to realize that its okay to be hurt when someone hurts you, but I’m not hurt anymore by trying to be kind and love the way He wishes me to. Now, I can truly say, “I am invincible, in Jesus’ name.”
‘In Jesus’ name’ isn’t merely calling His name out, its by honoring His name, His character, by imitating Him, following Him.
The answer that even after reading this, you, devoid of empathy and so stubborn in your self-righteousness will not bat an eye, will not search for the truth. Even after mocking the King, He will forgive you. This kind of forgiveness is perhaps the reason why I get to be invincible now.
If you want others to follow the truth, I don't think JUST preaching works, instead, you must be led by the light, be children of light, be the salt of the earth, be the city set on a hill because it will never be hidden. All this will lead them to the truth. To Him.
I can finally be invincible knowing, that it takes work to harden yourself to be invincible, but more importantly, i can be invincible knowing that I’m not loving to reap a reward, rather I’m called to love because that is our true design. You will inspire others, should you choose to follow this seemingly ‘difficult’ life and if not, that’s fine anyway, you LIVE.
So yeah, Invincibility in character, in spirit perhaps. You can’t just change this understanding I’ve been given.
I am privileged to truly find a way to be invincible, its by doing righteousness.
A down side to this I’ve noticed?
A few people ( a lot) will start to distance from you, because you’re not that current-gen, crass bad-mouthing OR enabling, Yes-man anymore. I think that’s alright.
Be chivalrous, folks.
