So Will I

When I was a kid I was obsessed with pokemon.

If you remember, about five years ago, a little app called Pokemon Go came out. You would wander the streets, see complete strangers that you would otherwise have no business talking to, and throw Pokeballs together at augmented reality pokemon on your phones together. We would yell and celebrate when we caught them, text our friends, and tell them where the pikachu was spotted in the local area, and post on Instagram bragging about the haul of the day. I believe this was the closest we’ve been to world peace in our nation's history. Pokemon unites people, it’s biblical :)

Why is this?

Well, I think it was an app that brought an entire generation back to the formative years of their lives. Reminded them of their roots, where they came from, and what shaped parts of childhood. For me, I was the biggest Ash Catchem fan there was. I dressed up like him for my birthday, or what others call Halloween, and would carry around my pokedex with pride.

If you haven’t watched pokemon, in short, Ash was the main character - an underdog trying to take on the world and make the best of every situation. If Ash faced a problem head on, I would face my problems head on. If Ash was there for his friends, I would die for mine. If Ash wore a backward hat, I wore a backwards hat. If Ash was gonna catch em all, you can bet I would have every pokemon card in every holographic/special edition version there was. Whatever Ash did, so did I.

So, now that we’ve made pokemon biblical, let’s connect some dots.

Paul writes in Ephesians about who we were before we were shown the ways of Jesus. He reminds us that the old self is just the starting point, and the holiness and righteousness of God is the new self we are stepping into. As Jesus does, so should we.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

- Ephesians 4:22-24

As kids, we have heroes we try to mimic. We put on a new self that embodies a person that we look up to and admire. As we grow older, that part of us never really dies, in fact, it’s always there. It’s watching out for models that work harder, try more, live life to the fullest, and have what we don’t. It then calculates how someone got to where we want to go, and we follow suit.

So, if this is the case and you and I are very talented at adapting ourselves to look like what we want, I believe living a life that looks more like Jesus starts with looking at the person of Jesus and deciding, is that the person I want to be? Naturally, I would hope that answer is yes for me, and I believe it is most days.

So here’s my question, do you know the man you’re trying to mimic?

If you don’t, I believe that the song “So Will I” is a great place to start. I mean, outside of the Bible of course. It’s a song that paints one of the most beautiful pictures of Jesus. Let’s look at some of the lyrics:

God of salvation

You chased down my heart

Through all of my failure and pride

On a hill You created

The Light of the world

Abandoned in darkness to die

Who is this God? Who is Jesus? Well He’s a God that says He won't give up on me no matter how much I mess up and think I have it all together. He’s a God that would lay down His life for me, no matter the cost. Let’s check out some more lyrics:

And as You speak

A hundred billion failures disappear

He’s a forgiving God who says, no matter the billions of failures, He speaks forgiveness over you.

Where You lost Your life so I could find it here

If You left the grave behind You, so will I

Jesus said that death is just a comma; it’s never the end of the story. You and I don’t need to fear death because He conquered death.

I can see your heart in everything You've done

Every part designed in a work of art called love

He’s a God that infuses love into every thought He thinks, word He speaks, and action He takes.

If you gladly chose surrender, so will I

He’s a God that choses humility and surrender in the face of adversity.

If you don’t know where to start today, if you feel like the way of Jesus is just too complex, confusing, or difficult, if you like the idea of a new self but just don’t know what that new self needs to look like, maybe let’s start with one “So Will I” statement today. Maybe there is going to be an opportunity to use love over bitterness. When you choose love, you say, “So Will I.” Maybe you’re going to be faced with conflict that your pride wants to win. But the “So Will I” statement makes you take a knee and surrender. As you listen to this song today. I hope one line speaks to you right where you are, and when you’re faced with the decision to live out what you want, or to live out who Jesus is, the new self, I pray you’ll choose to say, “So Will I.”

PS - My favorite line is : And as you speak, a hundred billion failures disappear.

DJ Brennan

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