Written by: CampUs4
5/29/2009 10:15 AM

Super Heroes Have Crazy-Big Ears

by Mark Wylie

So you wanna be a Super Hero of Faith, a Spiritual Giant to those around you?  Quite a noble goal, and there are certainly worse things one could aspire to be.  Although I am no “Hero” myself, nor do I have any qualifications whatsoever in training you to becoming a “Faith-Jedi,” I will brazenly take it upon myself to share some advice regarding your quest: Simple things that too often get overlooked in the midst of our exploits and pursuits.

Think of the following as “The Four Noble Truths for Super Heroes of Faith.”  As I think of my heroes and mentors (none of whom are paid, working ministers), I recognize four general traits that they all share.  I have since begun trying to live out these principles in my own life.  I am also quickly learning how easily I can spend the rest of my life working on these very simple ‘Hero’ principles: 

Super-Hero of Faith Noble Truth #1:

In order to become a Faith Hero, you must first “cease striving” to become one. Our hero quest begins with a true understanding of Psalm 46.10: "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  It’s natural to desire to be great, to make our lives extraordinary while attempting to minister to others.  We want our lights to burn so brightly that others can’t help but see our good works and praise our Father in heaven.  The desire for success certainly isn’t a bad thing, and sometimes it may even be of the Spirit. Yet if your passion and desire is to be a great minister, to walk a great Christian walk, to build a great campus ministry, to (uh-oh) receive great accolades, speak at great conferences, write great books, obtain great degrees—you’ll never be a true Faith Hero.  When we understand how to ‘cease striving’ and let God be God, we begin to realize that it’s not our place to be ‘the hero’ anyway—this is God’s story, not ours. We are just small characters in God’s infinitely expansive and unfolding narrative.  When we truly learn how to ‘seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness’ (and not our own), then Christ promises us that ‘all these things will be added to you as well.’ (Matthew 6.23, ESV)  Ironically, being a Faith-Hero requires avoiding the things normally reserved for heroes; praise, honor, glory, respect, reverence, speaking invitations, book deals, parades, etc. etc.

Super-Hero of Faith Noble Truth #2:

Faith Heroes have Crazy-Big Ears.  It’s a shame that so few comic-book and movie heroes don’t have big ears –Only Yoda and Dr. Spock come to mind presently (Wolverine and Batman don’t count).  And of course Superman could simply listen through walls whenever the idea fancied him.  Despite this, all real life Faith-Heroes are required to have excessive, saucer-shaped, satellite dish, not-just-big-but-CRAZY-big ears!  Why?  Because an essential weapon in the Faith-Heroes’ arsenal is the ability to truly listen to others.  Faith Heroes don’t spend the majority of their time talkin’ at people, rather they concentrate on truly hearing the other person.  They listen to those at church, their co-workers, their friends, their family, their neighbors—they even learn to listen to what Scripture is saying.  James reminds us that “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak.” (James 1.19, ESV)  And at the transfiguration the voice from heaven proclaimed “This is my beloved Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him!” (Matthew 17.5, NIV)  We cannot minster to others without learning the fine and gentle art of listening.  We cannot follow Christ without learning how to listen to him.  Faith Heroes have Crazy-Big Ears.

Super-Hero of Faith Noble Truth #3:

Faith Heroes have Crazy-Big Eyes.  Daredevil was supposedly blind, but he still got around pretty well.  Neo was blind as a bat at the end of the Matrix trilogy.  And of course Superman could simply use his X-ray vision to see through walls whenever the idea fancied him…Besides developing Crazy-Big Ears to hear others and hear Christ in the Scriptures; all Faith Heroes I’ve known have also developed Crazy-Big, I-See-And-Realize-All-That-Goes-On-Around-Me Eyes.  These Faith Heroes constantly looked outside of themselves to perceive what work needed to be done and who needed help and prayers.  They looked to give praise and credit to others. Navel-gazing was certainly foreign to these Faith Heroes.  The ability to truly see others for who they are and what they need inversely requires one to shun inward glancing and self-absorption.  Those that always look to help and serve others tend to have far fewer ego-related hang-ups, anyway.  “One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see!” (John 9.25, NIV) Faith Heroes have Crazy-Big Eyes.

Super-Hero of Faith Noble Truth #4:

Faith Heroes have Crazy-Big Hearts.  Perhaps the most difficult of the four, obtaining a Crazy-Big Heart only comes gradually through years of practicing the first three.  By learning how to ‘Cease Striving,’ I now begin to allow God to fill my heart with His Spirit rather than my own desires.  By learning to develop Crazy-Big Ears, my heart starts to become capable of patience and empathy towards others.  By learning to develop Crazy-Big Eyes, my heart slowly learns to love and care for those around me.  Paul once reminded us that without love, being able to perform the greatest feats of ministry strength imaginable was pretty much useless. (see 1 Corinthians 13.1-3)  Jesus reminded us that it was a good heart that allowed one to truly produce goodness all around them. (see Luke 6.43-46)  To some, having a Crazy-Big Heart is easy, to others (like myself) it is incredibly difficult.  Yet when we focus on everything going on around us and forget the self-absorbed ego that rants inside of us, our hearts begin the process of growing to Superhero-size proportions.

I like things simple—ironically, we can spend a good lifetime attempting to master even the simplest wisdom.  I prayerfully hope that I am still developing these “Four Noble Truths” 40 years from now…I’d humbly (yet brazenly) invite you to do the same.

Mark Wylie (mewylie97@gmail.com) currently serves as the Young Adult Minister for the University Church of Christ in Denver, CO. He and his wife Susan have been married for 9 years and have two children, 3 year old Andrew and 3 month old Michaela. He is also working to establish a ministry presence on the DU campus through his involvement with the DU Center for Religious Services.

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