A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24
This has really became a foundation verse in my life over the last few years. Despite how much I has fought it. the harder I fight something is uasually a good indicator of truth.
For example, way before i started on my road seeds were planted. I read Shakespear in high school and so St. Crispin day Speech I was familar with. but the truth in it eluded me because i had no framework to set it against. So many years later I saw a movie called Renissance Man about a bunch of army misfits who were forced to read shakespear and unbeknowst them them was hidden in their hearts. When called out into battle what is hidden in our hearts is what comes out. Most of the time my heart has been called out all i had was bluster and bravado of being called out instead of anything worth while offering sterength to those around me.
When i saw it in context i got it. The truth of camaraderie formed in ranks of men can be found in peace as well as battle. I always sublimially looked for chaotic situations to form bonds with others. It was like a reference point of remember that time when all hell went down I was worthwile there so please keep me around. I had the kernal of truth but still had it wrong. I was still convienced since I didnt have many people around me I needed alot of people around me. So I put on as many masks as i could to be whatever people wanted me to be to keep them happy and hopefully in their life. It lead to spiritual ruin because I never offered them the real me real bonds could never be formed.
Real framework came from the dumbest of places, World of Warcraft. Its a MMO computer game that a good friend played and babbled about. I wasnt into it but he was and babbled about it incessently. I picked up a roomate who just happened to play it and whenever they were together just chillin at the house I was the outsider. I hated that so I caved in to their pleas to play. brian said ill buy a copy if you will just try. He picked it up and my system was to old to run it so Clay ran to his house and literally gave me a tower just so I could play.
I had just been through all that court mess and was so blessedly loss in this world and was saved by escapeing into another. I had a curfew I had to be home by way to early to be calm. I couldn't read from my mind racing. Warcraft offered me something to do and I jumped in with both feet. I was just playing a game but God was up to teaching me lessons Mr. Miagi style,
Lesson one: grindindg on my own would only take me so far
Evertime you kill something in Warcraft you recieve a miniscule amount of experience points that over time will boost you to the next level. to grind is to do small actions over and over and over to grind away the rock of your experience bar. The game isnt designed to be done that way. The game is designed that you do repaetive actions sometimes to teach you to play your character only. You grind a little but you make bigger chunks of experience by completing quests. harder quests earn bigger rewards. I had recieved few rewards in my real life because i hadnt really completed any real quests. i was hoodwinked into my problem being i didnt grind enough. I had admired my father in law falsley believing he was doing it right because he had had the same job for so long. Same job same pay equated security and stability for his family. something I hadnt been able to do as of yet for mine. I convienced myself that thats how you got ahead you got into a job you hated and just kept on doing it to provide for your family. i saw bills getting paid but not how it killed him inside. In warcraft i rose up levels up but missed the entire point of the game. I grinded my bar down by spending quanity of time not quality of time. i was high level but missed out on all the expriences of deeper content content. Spiritually you can do all the religeous duties till the cows come home but unless they are leading youto deeper connection with God they are just motions. I was level 60 after years of playing but i hadnt done any dungeons really and delved into the mythology of the game myself. I could tell you what to expect in the dungeons fom reading online strategy guides written by others but nopersonal knowledge.
Lesson two: I need a wing man sometimes
The game is designed to progress up to a point that to kill certain bosses forming a group of others of the same level would make it happen quicker. Yes you could just wait till you were more powerful and come back to kill the boss that was the option I took. It was way less fullfilling than banding together and getting the job done. think of it as going back to kindegarten as a six grader and playing kickball. well of course you can kick better than the team as the individual because you were bigger than them but your not really playing the game at that point. i would go into caves die a bunch trying to kill all the smaller mooks because the boss would take all I had. Allot of times I would catch a break and someone else would be camped out as well and we could hook up and get it done together then go on our seperate ways. I can now be standing in Home Depot staring at something and a guy can walk up and I have the courage to ask for help. Somethimes they are old experts happy to help but most times its guys on my level with bit knowledge but together our meager knowledge is just enough to figure out the small stuff.
Lesson three: sometimes it takes a group
Dungeons are designed for 5 man teams of differnt classes to be challenged in completeing them hence better rewards and higher experience. I had my skill set but in dungeons i could be the best and still suck on my own or die contimually even with a partner. he could tank and I could blast but sheer numbers demanded more blasting to be done than i could do. Battles were designed to do do so much damage that a healer of some sort be added to the group just to keep us alive. So you have a tank to take the main damage, a priest to keep him alive, two guys blasting as much as they can while they are distracted, and a fifth that played back up support. Go in with anything else and your toast. I can just hang out with people just like me because they have the same inherent weaknesses as me as well. To get through these seasons in my life I have had to form groups with different people offereing different strengths. I needed some in touch with thier feeling because mine over ran me. I needed someone who didnt talk that much because i needed some to listen to me. I had to be around talkers to speak to me because I couldnt find my own voice. I have to call on guys to step in and pray over me and take some heat off me because i was to weak. I have jumped into fight defending guys from threats in their lives they couldnt see coming. In a ideal world i would have these guys in my life but just like i learned in game when you just do a pick up group results varied. They might have skills needed but you dont know each other so alot of failure and alot of greed before need rolls on loot. I do allot of classes in church and their impact isnt as great because we are just going through the motions as individuals thrown together.and when down never in each others lives again.
Lesson four: The best experience demands a community
A guild is a group of people supposedly commited to one another and enjoy each other. Instead of being alone in your game play you form friends with alot of people and come together. That way when your playing you get your own chat screen to add the social asspect to the game. Guild chat is awesome because your looking out for one another and interacting more often with other enthusiasts. You can pop off questions and have answers happily given. Im stuck on this dragon can I get a hand? Yep on my way. Does anyone have any cloth Im trying to up my tailoring? Sure. Its the book of Acts played out.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrectionof the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Acts 4 32-35
But man livingin community is hard to do. the problem with community is that is built with people and screwed up people at that. People come with personalities.
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