More than a Conqueror...

Totally unrelated to this entry, I just saw Aaliyah on TV and STILL can't believe she's gone. I'm laughing to myself not because it's funny, but just because it seems so ridiculous, like it's a bad joke or something. Anyway, "more than a conqueror"...

I've been thinking about that biblical phrase for years now. "More than a conqueror". For years, I just took it as a figure of speech meaning "conqueror would be an understatement; totally victorious" or something like that. And, in essence, I think that's true in a great degree. But recently I was thinkin again...

Well, let me ask you this... who's stronger: Superman when bullets bounce off his chest, or a man who continues in spite of a several bullet wounds? I bet you never thought about it, but what is real strength? It's not when you can easily triumph over something. Strength is the amount of "in spite of's" one can shoulder. If it's no challenge, then there's no strength involved.

I mean, it's common sense really: how can one "overcome" when he's never been "underneath"? It takes more strength to say no to drugs after you've been addicted than before; it takes more strength to not steal when you're poor than when you're well-off. Make sense?

So, back to the original theme, "More than a conqueror". To conquer something is to overcome it, and as I said before, "more than a conqueror" I simply took as a hyperbole or figure of speech indicating total victory or the like. But I think I know what it's really saying. And um... depending on how you see life, it's not exactly fun.

What I think it really and truly means is this: to be more than a conqueror is not to overcome circumstances, but to persist in well-doing for the duration of circumstances. I think about my mother for instance. Her cancer didn't go away, but she continued WITH the cancer. It was a much stronger feat for her to do that than to have the cancer go away.

And when you think about it, that's a Godly feat; what human in his/her right mind would opt to live with an obstacle rather than be rid of it? So that's what I think the Bible truly means when it says more than a conqueror; because truly, it takes more strength to endure hardship than to overcome it.

So in my mind, I toggle this concept. Why? Because personally, I just wanna conquer things. I'm a very goal-oriented cat, and the last thing I want is baggage hanging around just to hang around. In other words, in my mind I could settle for just being a conqueror and no more. That sounds bad doesn't it?

But I realize this also: the thing about enduring hardship is that God gets more glory for it. With a constant hinderance at your heels, people get more opportunities to see the power of God at work. But often when we overcome things, He only gets a little recognition.

For the glory of God, I understand that we Christians are called to be more than conquerors. Still, it's daunting, and makes me a little sad. I get into a lot of situations with the mindset that eventually I'll beat it; sometimes in life we face things that we won't beat until we reach the other side. But as Christ once said, "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby". So at least I know it's not in vain. I don't like it, but for His sake, I understand.

For now, I got some things I just need to conquer if You don't mind Lord. But, whatever's in Your will for me, let it be done.