The Legend of YOU - Finding Spiritual Truth in Hyrule

So, there's a little Nintendo 64 game you might have played before. 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.'

Claimed by some to be the greatest video game ever created, 'Ocarina of Time' is the first 3D installment of the popular 'Legend of Zelda' game franchise, and is a massive, huge, epic adventure of mythical proportions. It was an ambitious game - nothing like it had ever been made or even attempted. Many people have many fond memories surrounding this game. As I was sitting here, I started thinking about some of the big picture stuff regarding the game, and, slowly, some very spiritual parallels started forming.

The Kokiri Forest - The Beginning

When you start playing through ‘Ocarina of Time’ for the first time, you see how much fun it is. You begin your journey, and there are little tasks and missions for you to do everywhere. You have little victories here and there, you slay some monsters, and you win some battles. You meet new people, and you do realize you’ve just begun a huge, awesome, epic adventure. Everything feels safe, and you're just starting to learn about the world around you, known as Hyrule

The Adventure and the Evil One

Then, after playing a while, the initial spark and enthusiasm wears off. Your adventure is getting harder and harder, but eh – you can handle it. You also discover that you, who at first appear to be nothing more than a weak child, have a very real, very evil enemy – Gannondorf. They call him the Prince of Evil and the 'Demon Thief.' He want’s you to kill you more than anything – why? He realizes you’ve received a gift from Heaven, the Triforce, and that with it, you have power… and this scares Gannondorf to death. He begins throwing every enemy and obstacle he has at you. Monsters, dungeons, enemies, dark magic – everything he can throw at young link because he fears what he’s capable of. He's ready to fight.

Still, though, Link marches on. It’s getting tougher and tougher, but Link is still fighting. It seems, though, after trekking through temple after temple, you get gets stuck in a rut. Things are getting more and more frustrating, and that initial spark you had when you first started playing is almost gone, if not completely gone. You’re now just going through the motions, trying to get from point A to point B. Things aren’t as magical as they seemed at the beginning.

Then, suddenly, you’re faced with the Water Temple.

The Water Temple

The Water Temple is so freakishly hard and frustrating. There are creatures lurking in every corridor. There are brain-melting puzzles that are almost impossible to solve by yourself. There are twists and turns that leave you, the player, devastated. In fact, the water temple is so tough that… you feel like you could just give up. In fact, a lot of players do. The water temple is tough, and they can’t handle it.

The funny thing is... that’s exactly how Christianity can be.

You start off, when you first become a Christian and you get on fire for God. You have small victories here and there, and you’re just so captivated on this new adventure God has invited you on. You stay on your ‘Jesus High’ for a while - where everything is seen in a new light, and life if abundant and exciting! You start going to church, you meet new people, God blesses you in little ways, and everything’s just awesome. You feel safe in his hands, and you get comfortable.

Then, after a while, you realize ‘Whoa. There’s a world outside the Kokiri Forest. There’s an enemy that hates me – wants me dead – and he’s REAL.’ You see this, and things in your walk with Christ gets more difficult and repetitive. Things get almost boring… dull… repetitive. Yeah, you’re still a Christian, but that magic and wonder you felt when you first became one is gone, and things are getting tough. Really tough. You might be faced with the choice to step outside your comfort zone, and do something new (leave your own Kokiri forest), but you don't want to. It's comfortable where you're at. You're just going through the motions at this point. The magic is... gone.

Then, suddenly, you face your water temple.

That obstacle the Enemy has placed in your path that just seems… unconquerable. Impossible. You’re surrounded by demons that seem undefeatable. You’re surrounded by puzzles, doubts, and questions that just rattle your mind that you feel defenseless to solve. Everything is coming crashing down around you, and you don’t know what to do. You feel like you want to give up. In fact, a lot of people do. The water temples in our life can be tough, and some people can’t handle it.

But I’m here to tell you… don’t lose heart.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16

In Ocarina of Time, when you’re faced with the water temple, the temple you feel you cannot possibly solve on your own, there is something that can help you. There is a book, and it’s called the holy… Nintendo Player’s Guide. (Hahahaha)

The Guide

The Nintendo Player’s Guide is a book written by the Creator of the game itself (Nintendo) and is filled with advice, information, maps, encouragement, and is a guide made especially for the players to get them through the tough spots.

I’m sure you can see the parallel I’m painting, but I’ll state the obvious and say this: the Bible is the guide for us as Christians.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105

It shows us where to go, and it tells us what to do in our time of trouble. It is our map when we’re lost – it’s God’s love letter and gift to mankind so we always know what to do. When we face our water temples, the Bible is always there to tell us what to do. That’s why it’s so crucial to spend time with God and spend time in his Word daily.

In Zelda, though, even with the guide, it’s still a fight. But now that you know what to do, you only have to follow the guide, and eventually, you beat the Water Temple. You move onto the Shadow Temple, and beat that, too. You go to the Spirit Temple, and conquer that as well. You make it to the end, and you’re standing face to face with the enemy himself, who wants you DEAD because of the power given to you by the Almighty.

In Christianity, with your guide (the Bible, and God is our guide as well), you can beat your water temples. You can conquer them, and you can be victorious. You could try and beat the water temple by yourself, sure, but it’s hard, and you don’t have the strength or understanding to beat it.

That’s why we…

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.’ Proverbs 3:5-6

So, you defeat the Water temple, the Shadow temple, the Spirit temple, and in the end, there’s the final Showdown. But don't be afraid. Go ahead; read the back of the book. God wins. And so does everyone on his team, fighting for him.

In Zelda, it’s the power of the Triforce (which is interesting – our God exists as the Trinity), that ultimately defeats the wicked Gannondorf once and for all. Link sees the ending. It’s a beautiful world once again. It begins with a massive party featuring all the tribes of the world celebrating the defeat of the evil one. The kingdom of Hyrule is restored, finally, once again. There is no more darkness, no more pain, and no more evil. All is well.

The super amazing, wonderful news is that is what awaits the life of a Christian as well. In the end, the evil one is defeated. The kingdom is restored! And it all begins with a massive party – ‘the wedding feast of the lamb,’ as Revelation calls it. We’re reunited with our savior once more, and all is made right once more. Beauty is restored.

Think back to when you first beat Ocarina of Time, and you saw Gannondorf killed and sealed away, and that party play out on screen as the music played and the credits rolled. Remember how happy you were? That same feeling, that same victory, is made available to you, only amplified infinitely higher than the feeling of beating some old video game. YOU can be a part of that wedding feast.

'And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”' Revelation 19:9

All you have to do is keep following him. Stay in his word – do not lose heart! The end is coming, and when it’s all finished, because you didn’t give up, the Lord Jesus will look at you and say ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’ and you will be welcomed in and… the party can begin.

Don’t give up! The 'Water Temples' in life seem huge and undefeatable, but you’ve been given a sword and a mission. With your Guide guiding you, you can fight and win this war. In the end, it’s all worth it.

So, thanks for reading my extremely nerdy, but, I think, spiritually meaningful post regarding the spiritual truths there are in 'Ocarina of Time.' Now, excuse me. My Nintendo 64 is calling.

-Matt

Beauty, Romance, Love, and Significance

Wow, tonight was one of those night where God has just been moving in my heart in some big ways, teaching me some simple things that hold heavy meaning. It was 2:30 AM, and I was out relaxing in our hot tub (which is an AWESOME thing to have - we got it cheap, too!) looking up at the full moon shining onto the puffy white clouds surrounding it, just the extravagant sky God had painted for me to see, and it was just a lovely time. This was right after my quiet time, too, so God was already working heavy on my heart, and just seeing the sheer scope of the beauty one stretch of sky could have made me start thinking more and more about our Father God, and these four words hit me, in this order: Beauty, Romance, Love, and Significance.

Beauty. There is so much beauty in this world, but if we go too fast, and, literally, don't take time to stop and smell the flowers, we can miss it. Take a look at the flowers, trees, plants - even weeds! - and you can see just the raw beauty and creativity of God. The Bible says that God crowned US, human beings, with his 'Glory and Honor. [He] gave [us] charge over everything [He] has made; putting all things under [our] authority.' (Psalm 8:5b-6) In Hebrews, it goes on to say "Now, when it says 'all things,' it means nothing is left out.' (2:8b). All things! Created for US to oversee, to be over, to enjoy and to live in. Every beautiful thing of nature, every waterfall, flower, tree, mountain, planet, galaxy - all made for us, by the One who loves us dearly.

But beauty doesn't stop there. There is beauty in God's most precious creation - us! There is beauty in every child. I spent years in children's ministry, and as I think about what I know children are capable of knowing and doing, it blows my mind and rattles my heart. There's beauty in their innocence, in their smiles, in their endless happiness and energy, there's beauty in their giving, loving hearts, and there's beauty in the futures!

There's beauty in every woman. Graceful, elegant, rapturous beauty; with wisdom grounded in their hearts, and love for all things. Women personify perfectly God's love, mercy, and nurturing characteristics, and He has made them beautiful.

There's beauty in every man, too! Valiant, heroic leaders willing to fight for what they believe in. With strength, wisdom, vigor, men have in them the beauty of leadership, of God's fathering and teaching characteristics, and the beauty of love.

Beauty is all around us, and God desires us to take notice of it, and especially enjoy it! Which leads me to my next point...

Romance. To pursue, enjoy, and grasp the beauty in this world, in a lover, or God himself is really a biblical definition of 'romance.' The fully delve into the beauty God has offered us freely, simply for our enjoyment, is a beautiful thing. The intimacy God, the almighty king of EXISTENCE offers ME a deep, personal relationship with him, free of charge. I'll touch on this more in a moment.

But not only did he freely offer me salvation, but he's given me - us - this wonderful, romantic, awesome place we call 'earth' to live in. You see in the locked eyes of every couple. You see it in the beauty the rain joining the swaying pedals of a flower. You see it in the sacrifice Jesus gave us. That is romance in it's purest, holiest form.

Love. It wasn't even that I loved God or that I was a Christian he did all of that for me; the Bible makes it perfectly clear 'While I was still a sinner, Christ died for ME.' (Romans 5:8). He loved me enough to initiate the relationship with me - with US! - that while I was still his enemy, he loved me more than I can still fathom. That type of love - love that God IS (1 John 4:8) shakes me to my care when I see the beauty and romance in all of creation. I could write volumes on the love of God - it's so massive and mind-boggling. Love is that not only did God create us, not only did he give us an amazing world, not only did he let us live after sinning against him, not only did he die and conquer death itself on out behalf, but he WANTS US to be in a LOVING relationship with him. He DESIRES us. Which brings me to the last point.

Significance. I was reading in 1 Samuel tonight, I read these words that God seemed to speak to me, affirming something he's been trying to get across to me for a while now.

"Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the LORD your God, secure in his treasure pouch." (1 Samuel 25:29)

See that at the end? Treasure pouch. Tell me: what does one put in a treasure pouch? Their treasure. Their valuables. The things they love above all things. If, metaphorically speaking, that's where God holds us, then holy guacamole, we are significant, aren't we? To think that not only are we loved, but we're treasured by God is something that makes me want to cry! When we think of the love God has for us, I think sometimes, because of the overuse of the word 'love' in our culture, we don't really grasp it. But using words like 'treasured' puts all that weight back in, doesn't it?

I have been struggling with the deal of my significance. Christians everywhere go around talking about how they're 'just a sinner saved' or how they're 'the wretch the song Amazing Grace talks about,' but You and I are SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

John Eldredge says that (paraphrased) "To God, the idea of being separated from us for eternity was too much to bear. So, when faced with his holy decision, he found it would be LESS PAINFUL to give his son - to kill himself, in the flesh - than to be apart from us." Wow. Have you ever realized just how special and significant you are? God has created the beauty, the ability to become intimate with it and God, and he's given salvation... all for you? Not a collective you, but YOU as an individual. YOU as in [insert name here.] YOU as YOU were created to be. You are no accident. Once you've given your heart to the Lord, you are no longer a wretch, and you are no longer a slave to sin. 'You are GOLDEN,' as songwriter Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) says. How awesome is that!?

So, as I write this extremely long blog post, I hope you find encouragement and truth in these words I've written in the past half hour. I know that these things God has taught me are extraordinary things the Enemy would just love to destroy and snatch away whenever he can get his grubby little hands on it, but I am going to fight for these truths. It's when we're discovering significant things and drawing ever closer to God that Satan tries his hardest to pull us back away. Don't let him have you! Show him who's boss; show him who's team you're fighting for. It's team that will not lose. ;)

Thanks for reading! And hey - if you were encouraged at all by this blog post, let me know in the comments, please. It would be a major encouragement to me, myself, and I get to see what you guys think of the blogging here.

Have a great night!

Love & War - Part Two - It Is Worth It

Marriage is worth it.

Wow, isn't that such an odd thing to hear nowadays? How many people on television, in movies, on the internet can say such a bold thing? 'Marriage is worth it.' Worth what, though?

As I'm making my way through 'Love & War,' which was given to me free by the awesome people at Ransomed Heart Ministries, I'm really trying to keep an open mind on relationships, dating, and eventually, marriage. I'm not ready for anything like that yet, and that was made even more obvious by the introduction to this book - even before you got the the first chapter, it was made incredibly clear that it's a fight. It's a battle, and the one thing I think I understood most from reading the introduction was that I have to get my crap together before I want to pursue anything like a relationship with a girl.

John says to a man he's performing a wedding ceremony for as he's at the altar,

"You are about to give your life away. You are stepping up, you are volunteering for the toughest assignment a man will ever be given: to offer your heart and your strength to [woman], time and time and time again, for the rest of your days."

Wow. After reading that, it makes me believe that eloping - getting married in the spur of the moment - is an extremely foolish thing. I don't think I've ever thought of myself in the context of a marriage - a family. Do I have the heart and strength needed to support a woman I love? She'll need that from me. Can I give it to her?

"My words to you today are: it can be done. And it is worth it. To discover that because of your strength (for the guys and men reading) and your sacrifice, [woman] can become the woman she was meant to be - that, somehow, your fierce love can free her heart and release her beauty - that is whatever this may cost to you."

Free her heart. Release her beauty. Eldredge wasn't lying when he said that we live in a 'mythic' world. Those are some significant, epic words right there. That I am to provide my strength and fierce love to free and release her. Like the knights of the stores I used to read as a kid (heck - I still enjoy them). A beautiful, fair princess trapped in a tower, all alone, waiting for someone to come along and rescue her. Do I have the strength and the fierce love to release her - set her free?

No, not yet I don't.

That's why I'm feeling so blessed to have received this book. It's showing me, NOW, before I'm really even thinking about it, I need to be preparing myself for marriage, in respect to I need to 'clean up my junk,' as Perry Noble puts it. I cannot possibly fully offer my strength and love to a woman when I fill my life with junk, and let pointless (or worse... sinful) things clutter my heart.

Today, Jerry Davison, the Creative Arts Pastor at my church, was praying over the marriages in our church and our community (as part of a special day of prayer - you can read about it here), and he said one thing that jumped out at me... but only now, after reading this introduction to 'Love & War.' He prayed for those of us who weren't married yet, and not even necessarily looking yet. Isn't that something? Praying for the future marriages of people - of myself. That's something certainly I've never really done before, except maybe once or twice.

Praying for the woman, someday, I'll fall in love with, and offer my strength to. I may not even know her yet, but my prayer is that she is praying for ME (even if she doesn't know me yet), and that she is praying for the relationship she could/will have someday. That's a very exciting, very scary, very thrilling, very nerve-rattling thought.

Can I do it, though? Am I strong enough? I know I'm not ready now, but will I ever be? Really? Me, the one who can fail at the slightest temptation? The one who was never really taught how to be a Christan, or the one who has never really even had a girlfriend, outside of little elementary school crushes? Can I do this?

I don't know how many single guys read my blog, but this is one thing that John concludes the introduction chapter with:

"By the grace of God, you can do this. You have what it takes."

By the grace of God, I can do this. Maybe not now, but after preparation, I will be ready. Right now, I need to ready my heart for the... adventure that is marriage. I need to allow God to heal my heart, clean my heart, and prepare my heart. I have what it takes.

Wow, huh? I'm not even in Chapter One yet!! This is going to be an amazing study. Keep coming back for more blogging, thoughts, and fun from your's truly, Matt Walker.

A wife of noble character, who can find? She is more valuable than rubies... (Proverbs 31:10)

Love & War - Part One - Single Dude

Ransomed Heart Ministries was kind enough (and awesome enough) to give me the opportunity to review and send me a copy of John and Stasi Eldredge's newest book, 'Love & War: Finding the Marriage You've Dreamed of.'

I know what you're already thinking. "Matt. You're not married."

I know, you're right - I'm not married. I'm not engaged, and I don't have a girlfriend. Why on earth would I be interested in reading this book?

The opening pages make it very clear - nothing is what it seems.

As I begin reading through this book, I'll be blogging. I plan on writing at least a few of my thoughts for every chapter. I think that this book will offer a fresh, great perspective on marriage, and my future role in it. John Eldredge has been used by God in incredible ways in the past - including using his work in my own life - and there is no doubt this book (about marriage) is sitting on my desk for a reason.

I think that, at least to my readers and those who stumble across this blog, it will be interesting to see what I learn as a 'single dude' making my way through this book. Marriage and starting a family (as my Pastor Steve Whipple says, 'You don't start a family when you have kids, you start a marriage when you say 'I do.') is something I am, actually, looking forward to in the future. No way am I ready, nor have I found anyone to take with me on that journey, but it's exciting to think about. That's exactly what it is, though, isn't it? A journey together (at the risk of sounding cheesy and wedding-priest-y.).

So, right now, my mind is clear, and I don't have any expectations for 'Love & War,' except for one: it's got a message I should hear.

Keep coming back for more on 'Love & War' from the perspective of Matt Walker - me, you're friendly neighborhood single dude. Thanks for reading!