Taking My Cues From Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne (Photo credit: Michael Heilemann)

These days, I’m thinking Jason Bourne.

Jason Bourne knows what it takes to really go ‘off the grid’ and disappear. This is something I’m interested in, because I do it so poorly. I try to set aside time to study and pray, and my best efforts are sabotaged time after time. So… I watch Jason, and I learn.

Jason Bourne knows that technology is almost never your friend. Technology has ways of giving others more access to you than you really want to give. If smashing your phone to pieces seems a bit extreme in an effort to gain a bit of ‘quiet time’, you’re not alone. Really – you are not alone! Jason Bourne’s enemies used nearly every form of techno-gadget to track him down – don’t you believe for a moment that God’s enemy won’t do the same. A telephone ringing, a computer alert sounding, anything to shift your focus from what really matters onto something that, well… really doesn’t.

You may never have had a day where going off the grid was a life-or-death decision, but if you had, you would most certainly have bought a box of hair color. Changed your look. Chopped off a few pieces of hair. Because if you want to fly beneath the radar of the enemy, you don’t want to advertise. You want to blend in. I learned this from Jason Bourne, so when I know that I need to be avoiding the enemy, I lay low. I don’t make plans. I stick close to home and I try not to stand out. I humble myself and I do what I have to do. It isn’t glamorous, but one day it just might save my life.

Jason Bourne knows how to run. He doesn’t let himself become a sitting duck – he keeps moving – always at least one step ahead of the enemy. Some of us are easy targets – we’re predictable. We panic. We freeze up instead of turning up the heat. Some of us would do well to follow the example of Jason Bourne, who knows when to walk away and clearly knows when to run.

Like it or not, Jason Bourne also knows how to fight. I don’t really think it’s his first instinct, but he won’t hesitate to let the enemy have it when it’s his life that’s at stake. Some of us have been avoiding the fight at all costs. Some of us would rather pretend there isn’t even an enemy. Not Jason. He knows he’s a target. He knows that the enemy will stop at nothing short of taking his life. He knows, so he fights when he has to so that he can stay free.

I have to wonder what my own life would look like if I were to take my spiritual cues from Jason Bourne?

• It takes time and energy to go off-grid – and it’s worth the effort every time.
• Don’t sell out to technology – use it, don’t let it use you.
• Nothing good comes from trying to stand out – you’ll get further with fewer obstacles when you forego glamour and embrace the humble life.
• Don’t become an easy target – run in a zigzag motion and keep ‘em guessing.
• Choose your enemy wisely and fight with your life to stay free.