Day 13: Epic

Ever read Lord of the Rings? Seen the movies? How about Harry Potter? Have you read those books or seen those movies? The Chronicles of Narnia?

I love these (and other) stories because they are epic tales of good versus evil. Through brilliant characters and fantastic storytelling, they tell the story of somewhat ordinary people (if you can call a hobbit an ordinary person) thrust into extraordinary circumstances. They find themselves wrapped up in a huge conflict that has existed long before they arrive on the scene. And yet, they are instrumental in this fight against evil. Frodo must destroy the ring. Harry Potter must face Voldemort, the Pevensie children must do battle against the white witch, the list goes on.

Why do we love these stories? I'm sure the reasons we could list are endless. Tolkien was a brilliant storyteller with an engaging mind. J.K. Rowling crafts a tale that hooks you early on and won't put you down till the very end. C.S. Lewis parallels the real-life struggles and triumphs with a tale of both divinity and common heroism.

But, I think one of the reason we enjoy tales like this and others is that we long to be a part of these adventures, to be heroes - to be courageous, demonstrate valor, and do deeds of legend.

My reminder today is that we are all embroiled in an epic conflict that has been going on since long before we were born. We have been chosen to play out our part, to fight evil, and show the glory of Our Lord to everyone on this planet. God, for some reason, has chosen to use us to accomplish his purposes. We are called to a daily fight, and if we are not in combat, we may already be losing.

It reminds me of the armor of God:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:11-12, NIV)

You can read a few verses past this one for more detail about preparing yourself for daily combat. Sometimes I think we've picked the wrong enemy for our fights, but that will be a post for another day. I hope this will encourage you and remind you that we are a part of a grand tale which started at the moment of creation. And unlike some of the heroes in the stories I talked about before, we know how this tale ends, in victory!