Hero

The other day I posted an article about the importance of teaching our children that the Bible is about Jesus, not them, not a list of morals they have to follow.  The author of that article wrote The Jesus Storybook Bible (JSB) which my sister loves and I love (although I don't have my own copy since I don't have kids...but I plan on buying one soon, because I am 28 and still get a lot out of it!). Yesterday, this blogger posted this excerpt from the JSB and I loved it so much that I wanted to share.

Even though I know that my faith is about my hero, not me, it is so easy to get bogged down by the days where our sin doesn't seem to decrease and our worries and heartache only increase.  I catch myself gossiping or being bitter or see that my faith is not fruitful...and I get discouraged.  But instead of taking that discouragement and failure to the throne of the King, the savior who can help, I try to help myself.... I will get nowhere without Him...and even if I "improve", I will still fail...which is why I need a hero.

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but in a culture that is all about self improvement -- or all about grace and love (but no guidelines or looking at our sin), it is so important to spend every day knowing what a failure we are and knowing that our failure can't stop the hero.

Anyways here is the excerpt from the precious adornment blog (also keep this family in your prayers as they wait for their baby to come home from ethiopia!)

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne—everything—to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this story is—it’s true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece of the puzzle—the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture…

[The Jesus Storybook Bible, pp. 14-17]