When Luke Skywalker stumbles onto Princess Leia’s holo-recording in R2, his life is never the same. What he hears in her words are a call to adventure, as Joseph Campbell would say. He is invited to take part in something far more exciting and life-chaning than being a moisture farmer on his aunt and uncle’s farm.
This recording sets into motion a meeting between Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan recognizes Luke’s evident excitement over the recording of Leia and realizes that it’s time for Luke to finally step out and make a big change in his life. And so, Obi-Wan says to Luke, “You must learn the ways of the Force, if you are to come with me to Alderaan.”
In a sense, Obi-Wan is the voice of the Divine in this scene: he knows there is something great within Luke that must be cultivated and allowed to come out. Obi-Wan knows what Luke truly desires and invites him to act on that deep desire. In a similar way, God often speaks to us through our own deepest and truest desires as a way of inviting us into a richer and more full life.
However, Luke is initially hesitant and unwilling to go with Obi-Wan. Luke immediately starts coming up with excuses as to why he can’t go on this journey. It’s very much like the scene in the Book of Exodus when God asks Moses to be His representative to the people of Israel and stand up to the Pharaoh who has enslaved the people in Egypt (see Exodus 3). Like Moses, Luke has plenty of excuses as to why he’s not cut out for what Obi-Wan is inviting him to do.
We all tend to be like Luke when we hear God invite us to do something great with our lives as well. It’s common to feel that we aren’t worthy like Moses or that we simply aren’t good enough. Or like Luke, we tend to feel trapped in our current way of life and we almost feel obligated to keep doing things the same old way. But what Luke, and we, fail to see is that if we just go about doing things the same way our whole lives, we never truly grow into the people God is calling us to become.
Obi-Wan certainly doesn’t just give up. He counters all of Luke’s excuses with a few simple, yet penetrating words: “You must do what you feel is right of course.” With these words, Obi-Wan is challenging Luke to think outside the box, to not just rely on what he “thinks” is best but rather do what he “feels” to be right.
God often speaks in very subtle ways in the quiet depths of our own hearts. By acting on what we know truly feels right, we align ourselves with what God is calling us to become. So the challenge is to let go of your perceived limitations and excuses and ACT when you feel God inviting you to do something that you know feels right!
Just as Obi-Wan knew that Luke was meant to be so much more than a moisture farmer, God knows we all have the potential to become someone great. Don’t be afraid to follow when the invitation is made…you may just find yourself becoming one with the Force!
Karl LaClair
awesome
Thanks, Lenie!
Thanks for the post, Karl. Shoutout from St. Charles Borromeo seminary.
This is a great post, Karl. Thanks for writing this!