8 Things the Super Mario Brothers Can Teach Us About Our Faith

Super Mario Bros is the quintessential game of my youth. It is a story of a plumber and his brother and their quest to rescue the princess… two unlikely characters on an incredible mission. Turtles, Donkey Kong and Coopa Troopa don’t stand a chance against the plumbing duo of Mario and Luigi. For the longest time I have loved this game, there is something about the success of an underdog that gets me excited about my faith.

So here are 8 Things that Mario can teach us about our faith.

1) Mario is a plumber, no one special. Yet he is chosen to rescue the princess and go on an incredible mission. God seems to be in the habit of using the most unlikely of people to help build his kingdom. Think about it, Abraham, Noah, Joseph, Moses, David, The Prophets, all of these people were selected by God. Not because they were particularly special, but through them God might be glorified. God seems to be in the habit of using the unlikely to do the extraordinary. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

2) Money is always hard to come by. It could be stuck above a fire spitting plant, or at the bottom of a huge green pipe where the aforementioned plants often live. Sometimes it is hidden under a brick wall and you have to smash your head to get it. Just like in Super Mario you don’t need much of it to finish the mission. Stop collecting coins and remember the mission. Too often we get preoccupied with dollars and cents. We miss the much bigger purpose for our existence. Money is important but it has never been mission critical. (Luke 12:22-34)

3) Brilliance is short lived. Ever picked up a star, started sparkling like an invincible, rainbow warrior. Sure it’s cool, sure your unstoppable, but it is only short lived. Brilliant moments might be few and far between, they are a gift. For many of us we have a hundred horrible ideas before the stroke of brilliance hits us. Sometimes that is the lesson of perseverance that God is teaching us. (Romans 5:3-4)

4) Nobody looks good in plumbers overalls. Don’t buy the lie, these things are ridiculous.  White, Red, Supersized, Glowing Technicolor it doesn’t really matter they are all silly looking. Coveralls and/0r Jeans are a far better option. Don’t be fooled into thinking anyone looks good in overalls.

5) Weird friends are often the best friends. Who would think to ride on the back of Yoshi? Really that animal is completely insane looking. Yoshi is essential to the mission, remember sometimes it’s the weird friends that can offer the right solution to a difficult problem. They just think about things different. John the Baptist is a strange dude, he emerges out of the wilderness preaching repentance, eating honey and locusts wearing a camel. That is a strange dude, yet Jesus classifies him as the top dog amongst men!

6) Getting dirty can offer the greatest reward. Did you ever think to jump down a giant green pipe to see what is below. Most of the time in Super Mario the coolest stuff happens underground. Sometimes we have to get a little dirty to find the greatest rewards in our faith. You are only as deep as the last person you served. Perhaps you need to get a little dirty to find God’s greatest reward in service. Jesus spends time with the poor, weak and impoverished. If we want to live out Micah 6:8 it might be time for us to roll up our sleeves and get dirty.

7) In the words of Paul, we should run the race as if to win the prize. Super Mario isn’t a sprint, but it is a giant race. Sometimes speed is the measure, sometimes it is cautious movement. Being willing to be patient when it is called for is just as important as being willing to pounce when the chance arises. Life isn’t a sprint and we should like Philippians 3:14 reminds us, “press on towards the goal, for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

8) Bigger and badder doesn’t mean better. Most of the time Mario is outgunned. Coopa Troopa is bigger, Donkey Kong is badder, but neither of them are better. Overcoming obstacles might be a simple as throwing a large oversized turtle shell at them. Paul laments over a thorn in his side in 2 Corinthians 12. This follows an extended section of boasting in his sufferings. Gods glory doesn’t need anything extra to be glorious, potentially we need to have less fear for the big and the bad here on earth and more fear for God.

It is amazing how God shows up sometimes. A story of an Italian plumber rescuing the princess just reminds me of the incredible ways God uses unlikely people to do extraordinary things.