I’m reading Rob Bell’s “Velvet Elvis” right now, and liking it a lot. He talks about needing to die to being Superpastor, because Superpastor was a lie who needed everyone’s approval to be OK. Although nobody had told him this explicitly, Superpastor was some grandiose image of a person who isn’t actually human. Some Platonic Ideal or something…
Anyways, here’s his encouragement to you me, and anyone struggling to be our internalized Superwhatevers:
I meet so many people who have Superwhatever rattling around in their head. They have this person that they are convinced they are supposed to be, and their Superwhatever is killing them. They have this image they picked up over the years of how they are supposed to look and act and work and play and talk, and it’s like a voice that never stops shouting in their ear
And the only way to not be killed by it is to shoot first.
Yes, that is what I meant to write.
You have to kill your Superwhatever.
And you have to do it right now.
Because your Superwhatever will rob you of today and tomorrow and the next day until you take it out back and end its life.
Go do it.
The book will be here when you get back.
My prayer for whoever may be reading this is this: Kill your idealized notion of who you should be. Be a follower of Jesus. He deals with broken people, not Superpeople. He deals with you and me.
Jesus, kill my SuperMatt.
4 responses to “Die to False Idols”
um, does this mean no more flying around the house in my red cape and making a whoosh sound?
“Do you feel called to be a pastor?” is a misleading question.
It sets everyone up to think that you have to be “called” in order to be professionally religious, when in fact we’re all “called” to be followers of Christ.
The flattening of hierarchies in the Emerging Church has it bang on with this one, I think.
Hmmm… but then there are those folks who will say we need some kind of standard of morality, and anybody claiming to be a teacher had better try to be a shining example of it. And they’d be right to say it.
Fantastic quote though! Thanks Matt.
Hey,
I missed this one. Maybe it was set aside for me especially for today because my superwhatever got a shot in the skull today and I am grateful.
I don’t know if it’s dead, it tends to rear it’s ugly head but I’m learning not to pay so much attention to it.
Thing is, I think it’s the picture of who God wants me to be and I fall short everytime. I’ll do better next time is my motto but who’s counting? It never happens.
I’m so glad to read this confirming word. My superwhatever is hideous I don’t know why I think it needs preserving.
I’m so glad for friends and God who don’t hold it so dearly and don’t mind taking it “out back” for me.
I forgot..
You’re great! Thanks for posting.
I don’t think you should ditch the red cape thing. That’s necessary especially with the whoosh sound.
I’m down with that, matt. Go for it. You got my vote. That’s my word for you.
:D