YOU 2.0
When I was a kid, my daily ritual after I got home from school was to pour myself a giant glass of cold milk, a stack of Oreos, and watch cartoons.
The first after-school show I remember being committed to was called Wishbone. A show about a dog that reenacted classic stories with himself in the leading roles. Then there was Young Hercules, starring Ryan Gosling. Don’t believe me? Google it. It was a thing. And last but not least was Dragon Ball Z.
Dragon Ball Z featured characters with more muscles than are anatomically possible in a human body. The main characters are actually aliens that only look like humans… it’s the monkey tail that gives them away. They are called Saiyans, and the show revolves around them going on epic quests and fighting other superpowered aliens. But, the Sayains do something incredible. They go from their typical fighting selves (which could take any of us on our best day) into a beast mode called “Super Saiyan”. It’s like they level up from your basic everyday humanoid fighter with a monkey tail to a 2.0 version of themselves.
This is the cartoon that started my workout craziness. Yup. You read that right. There was a day when I was in sixth grade when I decided to opt out of the Oreos and started doing as many push-ups as I could while watching it. And I did… until I couldn’t push myself back up. I thought I had broken my arm muscles.
There is something inspiring about seeing someone go from the ordinary version of themselves to them 2.0. It’s the central theme of nearly every great story, movie franchise, and even The Princess Diaries. But moving from who we are, who you are, to you 2.0 isn’t as easy or straightforward as it may seem.
When we think of ourselves 2.0, we think of trying harder, making a few wiser choices, and some smarter investments. But that isn’t you 2.0. That’s you trying harder. You 2.0 is an entirely transformed, better, more excellent version of who you are. And that demands more than just trying harder.
Some native American Tribes call it a spirit quest, for Odysseus it was his Odyssey, and Jordan Peterson calls it “The Hero’s Journey.” But this journey from where we are to the 2.0 version of ourselves has two primary ingredients:
An Obstacle that is larger than you
A Power that is greater than you
In the Old Testament, you find these two ingredients in the story of Joseph. He was the favorite of his father and despised by his brothers. Finally, Joseph was sold into slavery and taken far away from his home to the land of Egypt. He is sold to a powerful man named Potiphar, and under that roof, Joseph flourishes. In the process, he catches the eye of Potiphar’s wife, who makes advances on Joseph. When those advances aren’t reciprocated, she accuses Joseph of trying to make advances on her and has him arrested. While in jail, Joseph meets two men from Pharoh’s court, a baker and a cupbearer, whose dreams he interprets correctly, imploring them to remember him. They don’t, instead forgetting him entirely and leaving him in jail to rot in obscurity far from home.
You can probably see the obstacle(s) in the story, but if you know his story, then you know it doesn’t end there. One day Pharaoh has a dream, and no one in the kingdom can tell him what it means. On that day, the cupbearer remembers a man he met in prison who could interpret his dream and recommends the man to Pharoah. And what do you know, Pharaoh sends for Joseph; Joseph interprets the dream and is made the second in command over the kingdom of Egypt.
Pretty incredible story. But Joseph didn’t luck into this new 2.0 version of himself. He didn’t go from the son of a nomadic tribe to the leader of the most powerful kingdom on Earth by tripping into it, nor did he bust through the obstacles himself. Check out what scripture has to say about the story:
“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him” (Acts 7:9).
“The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master” (Genesis 39:2).
“His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands” (Genesis 39:3).
“But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:21).
“The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed” (Genesis 39:23).
God was with him every step of the way through trials and obstacles. And God used the worst circumstances not only to elevate Joseph but to save Joseph’s family from a coming famine.
When reflecting on stories like this, Charles Spurgeon said, ““I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.”
Those tough obstacles in life, those waves, they are going to throw you against the rocks, they are going to test the power inside of you, and if that power is only the power you bring with you, only your light, only your rock, you’ll be crushed. But if that power is greater than you, fueled by the One who made you… those waves will graduate you.