This is the third and final week of our message series “Live and Learn.” In this series we have been looking at important lessons and decisions that successful people learn from life. Sometimes, these lessons are the fruit of years of experience and lots and lots of practice. Sometimes, these decisions are born of mistakes, or failures, or even misfortune. Sometimes, they spring from a sudden insight, an “aha!” kind of moment, that can change the course of our life or bring us to a new level of success, or simply, save us from unnecessary pain and frustration.

The first lesson that we explored two weeks ago was “know yourself so that you can be yourself.” Successful people realize the absolute futility of trying to be someone else, they see the uselessness of trying to pretend that they're something they're not, or live on a regular basis in denial of their unique character, their true individuality.

Last weekend the deacons looked at the second important lesson that successful people learn from life, “Embrace short-term pain for long-term gain.” Nobody likes pain. No one wants to suffer. No one wants to feel discomfort. We'll do anything to ignore it or avoid it. But successful people actually embrace it. At least, when they can see the payoff on the other side of it. In fact, some kind of pain or sacrifice is necessary to achieve any success in life.

Today’s lesson is one that some people grasp easily, while others struggle with it for years. We are going to look at chapter 9 in St. Luke’s Gospel, which we heard part of today, for this important life lesson. First some quick background. The Apostles have just come back from their first preaching mission. In chapter 8, Jesus had sent them out, two-by-two, to see how they could do by themselves. When the Apostles return, they were excited, but they were tired. Jesus invited them to come away and to rest awhile. But, as often happen, crowds of fans and followers, as well as plain old curiosity seekers, followed them. Instead of sending the crowds away, Jesus teaches them and cures the sick among them.

Now we get to the section of the Gospel we heard today. It's the end of a long day. The apostles are tired and they want to be done, and that's perfectly understandable. All of us have been there. They ask Jesus to dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the nearby villages to get something to eat and a place to stay for the night. They are overwhelmed by the situation they find themselves in and they are looking to Jesus, they are expecting Jesus to solve this situation for them. In every way, their perspective is completely understandable and entirely reasonable. But, instead of complying with their request and dealing with the problem himself, Jesus turns it all back on the apostles. He says, "Give them food yourselves." That was something more than overwhelming. That would have been impossible. The apostles couldn't possibly accomplish any such thing. 

If you feel like you have an assignment that's a little too big for you, if you feel completely totally overwhelmed by a responsibility you're currently carrying, congratulations, there's a good chance that's exactly where God wants you to be, that's exactly the feeling he wants you to feel. We'll see why in a moment.

Jesus gives the apostles a responsibility for a problem that is not their problem, a problem that they cannot possibly fix. So the apostles tell Jesus that they're absolutely entirely under resource. This is just our default kind of response. I can't. I can't. I don't have the time. I don't have the money. I'm overextended. I'm over committed. That's the standard response of unsuccessful people. They focus on what they don't have, use that as an excuse for not making any progress or even any effort. But Jesus is buying none of it. He's calling His followers to more.

Jesus tells the Apostles have the people sit down in smaller groups, and give Him all the food that they have, five loaves of bread and two fish. So the apostles do as Jesus asked them to do. They organize the people, they collect the food, and then Jesus prays over the situation. He prays before he acts because he always acted in the context of prayer. He gives the food to the apostles, they give it to the crowd, and here's what happened. They all ate and were satisfied. In fact there are a lot of leftovers. Jesus takes what was offered and he makes more. All of which brings us to this week's decision, the third decision, and it goes like this. Successful people play the hero, not the victim. Once more: successful people play the hero, not the victim. They don't complain, they don't feel sorry for themselves, they don't give up. They look at what they can do, they use what they do have, they focus on what is possible. 

Not only is that the recipe for more successful outcomes, it's actually the condition in which God is willing to work. It's the prerequisite for grace, and blessing, and miracles. Only when people move in faith and take responsibility for what they can do is God willing to act. When, on the other hand, people play the victim and only gripe and complain about their situation, it actually hurts the heart of God. When the Israelites grumbled and complained in the Exodus. They wound up aimlessly wandering around the desert for 40 years, for a journey that they could have undertaken in 11 days. Yes, it's easy to feel entitled to more. Yes, it's even easier to fall into the victim mentality. And easiest of all is to blame someone else for your situation, to wait around for someone else to come and fix your problems for you. That'll never get you anywhere. In fact, while playing the victim might be easier in the short term, it's actually exhausting in the long run.

Today is the feast of Corpus Christi, the feast of the body and blood of Christ. It's a very ancient feast in the Christian community that serves as a reminder of the gift, of the blessing, of the miracle that is given to us here in the Eucharist, the gift of Christ himself under the appearance of bread and wine: a gift that is the source and the summit of the whole of our faith and of our church. Think about that. You might lack resources and finances, but you have entree to the God of the universe who governs all resources. You might lack connections, but you have a connection to the Lord of heaven and earth. You might lack the time that you think you need, but you have access to the eternal Father who created time. Not only is there no need for a Christ follower to play the victim, it's actually disrespectful for us to do so. Because in Christ, we already have everything we need. In fact, if you're a Christ follower, if you're a disciple, you have to act, you must act, you have no choice. It's part of the job description. Because that's what he told his friends and followers to do. His final instruction was simple and clear as can be, "Go and make disciples of all nations." Christ followers do that. They act. They do what they can. They do the possible and they trust God to do the impossible.

So, why not take some time today or this week to consider where are you acting like a victim? Where are you blaming others? Where are you feeling sorry for yourself? And where is God calling you to play the hero? Go ahead. Make the phone call. Ask the big ask. Submit the proposal. Apply for the job. Step into the investment. Have the difficult conversation. Buy the ring. Set the appointment. Seek help. Move forward. Get involved. Embrace ownership for your life.