#1 Most Important Aspect of the "F" Life - The Oracle
If you've never seen the Matrix Trilogy you need to stop reading and...strike that! Finish the blog first, then go watch the movies. Either way there's a scene in the first movie that sets the stage for the entire trilogy and will do the same for your life too. Be sure to watch this first for some context:
Spoiler Alert: Neo (Keanu Reeves) makes the decision to save the life of Morpheus instead of his own but somehow survives. Over the course of the trilogy Neo begins to submit, commit, and breakthrough. By submitting he begins to grow into the role of the One. He commits to the process of saving humanity. Finally, Neo breaks through and wins the day. Besides the groundbreaking cinematography (the introduction of bullet time to the industry) and intense action, I thought the religious storyline stole the show.
I was raised Catholic, attended CCD (a Monday night class for public school kids to learn about the religion and it's practices), and served as an alter boy (I figured it was better to be in the game than watching from the pews). Led by my Mother, we were a religious family in the sense that we never missed a Sunday. She always was, and is, a devout Catholic but I think the rest of us clocked one hour of church per week.
It's no coincidence the Matrix trilogy matched the span of my college career perfectly. Jump to my Sophomore year of college and I was crushing it from all angles. Partying was paramount, girls were fun, swimming was a solid build towards my best athletic performances to date, grades were straight A's, and acquaintances were plenty. You could say my top priorities in college, in order, were as follows:
1. Me, Myself, and I - A pleasure seeking mission
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2. Girls - Enough said
3. Swimming
4. Grades - I actually love to learn and have a desire to grow
5. Friends & Family - Friends before family though because they helped me with priorities 1 & 2
So back to the point of Sophomore year. It had been a solid year and a half since I'd been to church (except for holidays of course). One of my teammates, Jerry, was a commuter student so his local church was a twenty minute drive from campus. He convinced another teammate and I to join him for weekly discussion groups. They had food! Swimmers need lots of it so we attended every Wednesday evening for six weeks. Jerry was there to grow and learn in his FAITH but we were there to eat, drink, and ask questions, lots of questions; Essentially attempting to shoot holes and cast doubt. There was still a sense of curiosity and a foundation of hope, instilled by my parents of course, that kept me going.
Miraculously Jerry convinced us to attend an overnight retreat. It was a transforming experience in the microcosm and ultimately led to meeting God face-to-face for the second time in my life (you'll hear about both later). However, like the Oracle tells Neo, "once you finish that cookie, you'll forget all about it." I didn't just forget, I ran as fast as I could to #'s 1-5 from above!
One thing that did remain spoke to my competitive spirit. We attended a session on healing and prophecy during the two-day event. Yep, I said prophecy, so part of me was thinking I definitely booked a one-way ticket to Cultsville USA. It was about to go down and they were mixing the cool-aid. Anyway, we were in a circle and the prophet was speaking over people. She was providing vision and guidance for their lives when she placed her hands on Jerry's shoulders. Everyone was supposed to have their eyes closed but I was on top-secret high alert, one eye opened. With her hands resting squarely on Jerry's shoulders she said, "You are destined to lead many, many, people to God."
ME: In my own head of course, "Now I know you're full of it because Jerry is one of the most introverted and soft-spoken individuals you'll ever meet." My next thought, "that message was meant for me, challenge accepted!"
At some point in the trilogy Neo is explaining to Morpheus that he is definitely not the One. Neo references his conversation with the Oracle to convince Morpheus that his belief in Neo was misguided. Morpheus replies, "You heard what you needed to hear."
Like the Oracle suggests, deep down, I've always known myself. In retrospect, "knowing thyself" is actually a connection with God. A connection that was never lost but certainly shrouded in alcohol, drugs, sex, bad decisions, and all around self-destructive behaviors. Simply put, I just refused to let go of #1, good ole ME. It's only taken me 17 years since the prophecy but I'm ready to submit, commit, and breakthrough regarding FAITH. I heard what I needed to hear! I'm ready to "lead many, many, people to God" and I'm going to do it through my strengths, gifts, talents, and knowledge of health and wellness. Are you willing to at least come for the food (tips)?