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đź“– The Will to Power
On being a follower of Jesus and “trying really hard”
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The Will to Power
On August 25, 1900, world-famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche died.
A year after his death, Nietzsche’s sister compiled her late brother’s various notes into a manuscript called: The Will to Power.
The book was based on a concept Nietzsche had been working on before his death. As the name suggests, it emphasizes the power of human will not only in one’s life but in the history of our species as a whole.
There’s something to that.
Fight the Power
The other week I watched Spike Lee’s 1989 film, Do the Right Thing.
It follows an exceedingly hot day in a predominantly black Brooklyn neighborhood. The conflict of the film is driven by the refusal of the local pizzeria’s Italian-American owner to accommodate a particularly disruptive patron pressing him to put pictures of African-Americans on the wall.
And it’s this sheer stubbornness of the pizzeria’s owner that sparks the film’s memorable climax.
John Turturro, Danny Aiello, and Richard Edson in Do the Right Thing (1989).
Coming from an Italian-American family myself, I can assure you when our will is firmly behind something it’s going to take a looooot to change our minds.
It’s a small and silly example but illustrates the point all the same. The human will isn’t something to take for granted.
Many of the greatest breakthroughs in history have been the result of men and women with unbreakable spirits going against the odds to make the world a better place.
But is the will without limits?
Of course not.
Try-Hard Spirituality
As followers of Jesus, we’ve been so captivated by His teachings and person that we’ve literally devoted our lives to Him.
And, yet, how many of us can say we perfectly live out His teachings every day?
How many of us can say that our personalities perfectly reflect His?
How many of us can say that we, like Jesus, are devoid of sin?
Look, I want to be like Jesus. I try to be like Jesus. But, somehow, I always miss the mark in some way.
Saints are made by something more than willpower.
This week on Theophilus we’ll look at that.
We’ll see why being like Jesus requires more than just “trying hard”.
After all, the will might be limited, but God is not.
Until tomorrow.
For now, be blessed.
Jon,
Theophilus Newsletter
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