My favorite TV shows growing up were Wonder Woman and Bionic Woman. I wanted to be like them in so many ways. But around the same time, there would be another huge influence on my life; my grade school teacher, Sister Ignacia who taught me about faith.
The Bionic Woman was more credible than Wonder Woman in that it fused human BIO-logy with electro-NICS to form a new science, BIONICS – something which modern-day technology has achieved to some degree but without the super powers – yet.
But what would happen if we could infuse our faith with the power of Bionics? And what would that Faith look like?
In its simplest form, I think faith is a belief in something greater than ourselves or something beyond our control. But how would I describe a Bionic Faith?
I would define Bionic Faith as having the inner strength and the moral courage to do right from wrong. It’s one thing to know right from wrong – most of us do – it’s quite another thing to follow through and do the right thing . . . and do so for the right reasons.
Sound easy? Guess again. To do right is usually the longer way around. A lie is easier than the truth. Peer pressure can sway us from the right course and is a powerful motivator. Then you have societal pressures to succeed and get ahead. Great wealth itself can be a slippery slope. Even if you’re on the right path, that path can be littered with all types of temptations along the way that can derail your course.
A Bionic Faith would bolster one with the moral certitude to resist all types of temptations including, fraud, greed, drugs, deceit, violence, corruption, dishonesty, sexual misconduct or abuse, etc. But it would also bolster one with the psychological and spiritual toughness necessary to endure almost unimaginable hardships.
People lack historical perspective.
In the early days of Christianity, Rome was openly and savagely hostile towards Christians. Roman soldiers hunted them out of their hiding places and persecuted them in the most horrific manner. Christians were fed to hungry lions in large arenas before thousands of cheering spectators. The crowds roared with delight as the Christians were being torn apart, limb from limb. Others were crucified and then torched alive from the bottoms of their feet.
Did these early Christians abandon their faith while being burnt alive? To the contrary, historical accounts say they were heard screaming forgiveness at the top of their lungs towards those committing these horrendous acts against them.
This is powerful. This is Bionic Faith – the type of faith that can move mountains, and bring empires crumbling down.
We don’t have to go so far back to find other examples of this unbreakable, resolute faith. There are several documented accounts of American POWs enduring some of the most brutal and deplorable conditions imaginable while in captivity during the Viet-Nam War. In many of these cases, POWs suffered hardships not for months – but for 5 and 6 years. In debriefings and subsequent personal interviews, the POWs said it was, above all else, their faith that got them through their darkest moments.
And then there are those that survived the atrocities in Rwanda and Cambodia and the Death Camps during WWII.
But the survivors in the above examples were physically powerless to escape their captors or their situations. What empowered them to keep on going? Of course, these are the extreme examples, but what about our own personal struggles? I’m talking about the everyday struggles of the average Joe or Jane.
All of the super-heroes of today possess special physical strengths or super powers. It makes me laugh now thinking of the Bionic Woman. The jumping, the running 60 mph, or bending steel bars in her bare hands, even her super amplified hearing and vision – all preceded by the pulsating sound. Good stuff, and funny too.
As a society we need more. We need other types of super-heroes to look up to. Think about it. If we as a society had enough people – not everyone – but enough people with a Bionic Faith, other people would not be swayed or even attempt in doing wrong.
There would be no need for our organization, Crime Survivors, or Crime Stoppers, or any other non-profits. What does it say about our society that we have a national organization with the name; MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving?) And they have hundreds of chapters throughout the U.S.
I’ve stated many times that I am not perfect. I am a flawed individual who struggles with several issues such as my weight and self image problems etc. But I strive every day to do better, to be more giving, to help a family in need, and be more compassionate and productive and loving and have a Faith such as the one described above. Challenging? Absolutely. But it gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
I leave you with this quote from the iconic martial arts phenomenon, Bruce Lee: “A goal is not always meant to be reached;, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”
Aim high my friends. With faith there is hope, I promise you.
With much love, always, P.W.
