When I was growing up, cartoons and shows for kids were very different from what they are today. For action, I liked watching Super Friends. This was my dream team of action heroes: you had Aquaman, Batman and Robin, Flash, Wonder Woman, the Wonder Twins, and ten other characters who each possessed unique superpowers that they employed against the bad guys. My favorite Super Friend was the captain of this indestructible outfit—Superman.
Superman could do just about anything—like blowing air across the room and freezing a villain in his tracks. Everything bounced off my superhero, who had titanium skin. No matter what Lex Luthor or Braniac threw at him, Superman survived every bullet, every car crash, every assault, every missile, and even every stray meteor from outer space. Nothing was a match for his hard body. Superman was unbendable, unbreakable, and impenetrable. Objects that hit the Man of Steel disintegrated, exploded, bent, or slumped while his six-pack abs, ballet tights, and wavy black mane remained unruffled. Whenever I played with the kids in the neighborhood, I chose to be Superman because the Man of Steel always came out of his battles unhurt and unchanged.
On the other end of my TV Land spectrum were the educational shows. There was a guy in a red sweater named Mr. Rogers and his make-believe friends, King Friday and Lady Aberlin. Stage left was the Sesame Street gang of Big Bird, Elmo, Grover, and Oscar the Grouch teaching me numbers, spelling, and how to get along. Finally, there was a green clay action figure named Gumby and his horse (also made of clay) named Pokey. Their adventures always delivered a life lesson, and Gumby acted just like his name sounded: while he always planted both feet on the ground, his head was somewhere in the clouds.
Gumby’s show was one of the first shows to use a new art form called Claymation, a complicated and time-consuming process in which the creators slightly move clay figurines one iota at a time to produce an image of lifelike movement. Gumby’s creator, Art Clokey, chose clay because of its malleability. “Clay changes every time you touch it,” he said. “You push it and mash it, and a lump turns into something, just like magic.” This process made Gumby look and feel very different from other shows on television. I liked this program so much that I actually had my mom go out and buy me a Gumby doll, er, action figure. (If you tell anyone, I’m going to kill you.) What I liked about my Gumby doll was changing his shape to fit my imagination at the time. He could do—or be—anything I wanted.
I identified with Superman and Gumby for different reasons. I think part of me wanted to be a superhero while another part of me definitely had my head in the clouds. Pretty weird combination, if you think about it. One guy was indestructible. The other was soft and bendable. The Man of Steel tried to never get bent out of shape. The green figure made of clay always was being handled and changed to become real to me (the viewer). Superman always prevailed over the bad guys in the end. Gumby, on the other hand, always had his heart changed by the end of an episode—in victory or defeat.
Even though it pains me to say that Superman and Gumby have long since gone off the air, I see the characters of these two figures reflected in the attitudes of young men everywhere. The hearts of supermen, as I call them, are spiritually made of steel in their attitudes toward God. The S on their chests stands for self, although it could also stand for stubborn or stiff as well. These guys, for one reason or another, are inflexible in their attitude toward God. They will let all sorts of bad things happen to them instead of listening to God’s direction. But in God’s eyes, these guys are not superheroes; they are superzeros because of their prideful, unyielding attitudes.
When I look at young men who make a successful transition into becoming God’s young man, one quality stands out above all others—flexibility to the will of God.
Does God still work with these men of steel? The answer is yes, but as you know, steel is not easy to work with. Try bending it over your knee sometime. The heart of steel must be heated in the fire and pounded or molded into shape by trials, difficulties, and pain. Though the process is hard for young men, God is an excellent blacksmith. He knows what it takes (even if it takes years) to mold His men into the image of Christ. To the young men hard of heart, He says get ready for surgery on the soul:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
At the other end of the spectrum are the Gumbies—guys flexible and bendable to the will of God. They might get twisted around or bent out of shape from life, but they trust the hands shaping them and their characters. They are willing to be handled like clay in the Master’s hands. Like Gumby, they change their shape or their direction every time they allow God to reshape their hearts and their lives—especially in the rough times. They let God squish, push, press, and mash because they know that’s best for them. When I look at young men who make a successful transition into becoming God’s young men, one quality stands out above all others—flexibility to the will of God.
To produce real results in his spiritual life, a young man has to make a trade: the S on his chest for a chance to be just a lump of clay in God’s hands. That’s not easy. In fact, to become flexible and moldable in God’s hands requires an attitude rare among young men—humility. Whenever I see humbleness in a young man, I see flexibility to God’s will. The two go hand in hand and are the true superpowers of God’s young man. The Bible teaches that humility is the one attitude younger men must pursue if they really want to fly spiritually: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
Jesus said, “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). The reason he points to this attitude in Himself is because He knows that it’s a quality that makes a relationship with God really work. Think about it. A humble attitude toward God:
• saves you from the grief and pain that selfish pride creates
• helps you accept God’s will when your prayer goes unanswered for some reason
• makes you search for God’s purpose in a circumstance instead of getting resentful
• guides your heart toward decisions consistent with God’s plan
• brings you more closeness with God
• frees you to serve others instead of demanding service
• allows you to worship more authentically
• enriches prayer with a proper reverence
• makes you a better learner
• helps you to come back after stumbling
You can say that King David was one of the most Gumbyesque persons in the Bible. What a great model for us. God said, “David son of Jesse is a man after my own heart, for he will do everything I want him to” (Acts 13:22, NLT). When God asked David to do something, there was no debate—he was clay in God’s hands and adjusted his attitude accordingly. As easy as that sounds, don’t think for a minute that it was some magic dispensation of God’s Spirit upon him or a special anointing. David simply understood that there was a God and he wasn’t Him! You could say that he was blown away:
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you have set in place—
what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? (Psalm 8:3-4, NLT)
As a new believer at UCLA, I remember being surrounded by a lot of “mature” Christians. I heard many of them pray and ask God to make them more humble, and I remember thinking how noble they were to ask God for humility. Their prayers, however, spurred more questions in my mind:
• How will they know when they get it?
• What does “humble” look like?
• Does this mean letting everybody take cuts in line in front of you?
• Does this mean never saying thank you if you get a compliment? dressing down? not combing your hair? not calling attention to yourself?
After asking myself these questions, I reasoned that praying for humility may not be the way to get it after all. Besides, if they got what they asked for, wouldn’t they take pride in their humility? There must be a better way. Then I asked myself: when am I personally humbled?
Answer: When someone is bigger and better than I am at something.
When am I personally humbled? When someone is bigger and better than I am at something.
I immediately thought of a few times when God put me in my place. I recalled the time I visited a deserted beach and stared out at the vast coastline and endless expanse of sea. Then my mind jumped to the time when I traveled up the chairlift in Sun Valley, Idaho, looking at a 360-degree panorama of snowcapped mountains. I remember flying through valleys of enormous red-tinged cloud formations during a sunset approach into Denver International Airport. And then there was the time I mountain-biked down the summit of 11,053-foot-high Mammoth Mountain and felt like I was riding through someone else’s yard (namely, God’s). Those are the moments when I see how big and powerful He must be and how small and insignificant I am. I see David’s point in real time: who am I that that He should even think of me?
When a man recognizes this God gap, there is only one way he should respond: silence. King Solomon understood the great divide between man and God. He advised wise men in this way: “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2), which is another way of saying, God is bigger and better, so keep your ears open and your mouth shut!
• You may be smart, but He is smarter.
• You may be accomplished, but He made the universe.
• You may be helpful to others at times, but He carried the sins of the world to a bloody death on a cross.
• You may feel responsible for your successes, but He gave you every skill you possess.
• You may be a nice guy, but He loves and forgives infinitely.
• You may be the master of your universe, but He is master of the entire universe.
Trust me on this one—you will never need to pray for humility as much as you will need to remember your place. So the next time you feel like bragging, put a cork in it, listen to Him, and learn the ways of the Creator. Coming face to face with the reality of who He is and who you are should lead you into the only constructive attitude possible—humility. God Himself says that recognizing the great divide leads to a knowledge of and respect for Him:
So that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting
men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I form the light and create the darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things. (Isaiah 45:6-7)
Positionally, God is in charge over what He makes—case closed. He’s been calling the shots since the beginning of time, and He expects us to recognize that and give Him the freedom to direct our lives. Sure, it’s humbling to get worked on, but in God’s case, we should relax. God is always one up, and we’re always one down. That should be enough, but we’re human, so we often keep forgetting stuff like this. It helps to remember the depth of the love behind His power and His position. This makes every God’s man want to be flexible in His hands.
Hard rock music is in my blood. I can’t pass up a tasty lick on an air guitar when I rumble through the house or using my steering wheel as a drum set when a big beat comes on the radio. I’m a headbanger at heart who grew up listening to AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Queen, Van Halen, the Steve Miller Band, and the Rolling Stones. These days I gravitate to hard rock Christian bands, and one that I’ve been following is a raw group called Seventh Day Slumber. Their songs and their music is not your normal diet of pop music or fad worship. They deliver gut-wrenching vocals, hard-driving rock guitar, and pounding percussion that gets your head bouncing. A song off their 2003 album Picking Up the Pieces grabbed me by the throat. It’s called “My Struggle.” The lyrics, written by Joseph Rojas, reveal a man who’s fighting some demons in his life, including lots of sin and baggage from his past that keep him from believing the simple truth—that God loves him:
Must be some mistake
Cuz I am not worth the price you paid
With every passing hour
I convince myself that you saw something in me
I can hear them still, As the whispers laced with hatred fill the room
I guess I am wasting my time, how could you love a man like me?
Lord, I need your strength
Cuz I am weak and falling to my knees
And who is on my side?
Cuz I can’t tell my friends from enemies
I am filling up with hate, Bitterness controls the air I breathe
What am I fighting for? Or do you have a plan for me?
Must be some mistake
Cuz I am not worth the price you paid
When I first heard this song, I thought of Jesus’s story about the prodigal son. The son blew it big time, and he returned to his dad with his tail tucked safely between his legs. Nothing like being broke and smelling like the hind end of a pig to wipe out whatever pride you had left. Broken and humiliated, the prodigal son reached the edge of his father’s estate, looked up, and saw his father running toward him with a big grin on his face. His first thought had to have been: He’s coming to me? Must be some mistake. By any standard, no oddsmakers would have bet on the reunion going down like this. But that’s how it happened:
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)
The prodigal son of the New Testament and the twenty-first-century rocker both can’t believe it. What they’re saying is, “I have sinned … I am no longer worthy.” But the Father’s grip is too tight, and His kisses are real. Everything changed for these two guys because they were willing to humble themselves and return home to the Father who ran out to embrace them.
Nothing like being broke and smelling like the hind end of a pig to wipe out whatever pride you had left.
It’s clear that the songwriter titled the song “My Struggle” because this unconditional love is a struggle to receive. But when you really get that God, who is superior to you in every way, loves you just because you’re His son, you should be sold. No need to wrestle with God anymore; you’re Gumby on steroids! Instead of being a slave to your dark side, you’re marching to the beat of a different drum, all because you realize that it’s not a mistake. He loves you so much that you can’t resist obeying his requests upon your life. Living a godly life is not a burden anymore—it’s a privilege.
If you can’t see the God gap or Lord love—assuming the number one position is out of order and thinking He does not have your best interests in mind—your heart will stay hard toward God. You will isolate yourself from God’s purposes, never obey wholeheartedly, and never experience the joy of listening to your loving Maker.
Young men who know better but refuse to heed God’s voice create misery for themselves and for those around them. I have seen my share of guys who think they have it all figured out at eighteen or nineteen, and they frustrate the snot out of me. These guys would never think they’re coming out against God, but their choices and even their questions reek of pride. Most of all, these guys isolate themselves from people of truth and plug their ears to voices of truth. It’s a frustrating pattern that has been repeated for centuries among God’s men. Aaron is one of the most recent examples.
These guys would never think they’re coming out against God, but their choices and even their questions reek of pride.
Aaron became a believer with Matt, Ron, and Darren at a Harvest Crusade at Angel Stadium in Anaheim last summer. He and his buddies experienced a great summer of growth and fellowship as they plugged into church and a Monday night Bible study. Everything went well for Aaron until he left to go back East for college. Unconnected and unaccountable for his faith, it was like Aaron forgot to pack along God. Even though Aaron was on the other side of the country, God was there, and He wasn’t going to let Aaron remain comfortable in his sin.
E-mails from Matt and Ron, which got into spiritual stuff, were answered by Aaron in a way to make it appear like he was a junior Moses. His new crew of friends had no idea this was happening because Aaron never talked about his faith. Every time he partied, though, Aaron felt like someone was watching him, so much so that he couldn’t enjoy the scene as much. This made him feel anxious, unsettled. He knew that deep down the guilt was there—guilt for turning his back on something that felt so right to him. He questioned everything—including whether he could ever live the way he felt God wanted him to live.
During first-quarter midterms, Aaron was by himself on the north side of campus, where he had found a great place to study in the architecture building. A little after one o’clock in the morning, he looked at his watch and decided to walk back to his dorm. Since iPods weren’t invented yet, usually he would drop a Coldplay or Creed CD in his Discman and enjoy the walk home. Tonight, however, the only CD in his carrying case was a worship CD that Matt had bought for him almost three months earlier.
During the summer he had loved listening to this CD, but things were different now. A thought popped into his head that labeled him a hypocrite for thinking he could go there, considering the life he was living. He didn’t know if he even wanted to go there—but since he had the disk in his hand and nothing else, he popped the worship CD in and pressed play. Sounds of days gone by came through the earphones.
He questioned everything—including whether he could ever live the way he felt God wanted him to live.
As Aaron walked across the founder’s quad, what seemed like a long-ago past came flooding back through the strong acoustic melody, flooding his senses and now his spirit. Yes, it had been ages since he’d even thought about God, but the music sailed past his mind and drilled deep down into his soul. His eyes filled with tears as track four declared God’s love and forgiveness—it was still his favorite. He stopped in front of the student union. He had to sit down and pray and tell God how he felt and how sorry he was for turning his back on such love.
When he got back to his dorm room, he immediately fired up his laptop and composed an e-mail to Matt explaining how God had used the CD to bring him back to his faith. More important, he described his prayer in front of the student union, rededicating himself to God. His odyssey away from the Lord was over, and for the first time since he left home, Aaron felt peaceful inside.
Aaron took thirty minutes composing his e-mail to Matt. He was a little worried what Matt would think about him since he had never let on about his vacation from God, but Aaron didn’t care. He was loved by God, and it felt good.
Aaron did one more thing before he called it a night. He put on his Discman headphones and advanced the player to track four. Once more, as he listened and took the lyrics to heart, he could feel his resistance to God’s Holy Spirit fading away. What took its place was what he needed to face in the morning.
Some tough decisions lay ahead, but there was no turning back. He could feel an openness flooding his heart to do God’s will. He was nodding off when the thought occurred that he should end his day with a verse of Scripture. He got up and fished around the back of the closet in the dark until he felt a soft leather Bible fill his hand. He flipped open to a bookmarked page, which happened to be Matthew 23, where he had once highlighted verse 12 in yellow. He smiled as he read, “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (NLT).
Aaron said a silent prayer thanking God for His loving patience, and he fell asleep resolved to never get that far away from the Lord of the universe again.