Photo by Marcus Quigmire
https://www.flickr.com/people/41896843@N00
Many years
ago, my husband and I went to see a political thriller at the movie theater.
When it was over, the ushers had pen and paper in hand and asked those who were
leaving whether they liked the show. I’d never had that happen to me before. I
said, “Oh, I hated it!” She asked why and I replied, “Everyone good in the
movie died! It was horrible.”
I do
remember the closing scenes and being stunned the bad guys won the day by
killing everyone who was on the side of right. My reaction was pretty
emotional, after all, it was just a movie.
I’ve seen
movies where some good people die, but everyone? No.
I was
listening to a sermon on a podcast last night and the preacher said, “Why do we
go to violent/action movies? It is because we love violence.” Well, I disagree.
I think we like these movies because we know the good guys will win in the end.
Superman and Batman are not going to die and they will make the world better
and safer. The people in Avatar saved their planet. Tom Cruise in Mission
Impossible will stop the bad guys in their tracks. We will all win against the
murderous aliens.
I think we
love these movies because we love to see justice done. We read the papers and
see the crime, cruelty and hard-heartedness of people and most of us feel sad.
Most of us can’t believe what is going on and what people will do to each
other. But for two hours we can see some justice done and it feels good.
I don’t think
preachers should say what people’s motives are. They truly don’t know. They
sometimes put the worst connotations on why people do what they do.
Why do
people take drugs? I think it is that they find life hard or very sad and take
drugs to feel good, even though the feeling doesn’t last. I think the deepest
desires we have are to be loved and understood and when that doesn’t happen, we
will try anything to make ourselves feel better.
Jesus is the
answer to those longings, although it took me a life-time to learn that. The
Bible says to pour out our hearts to God. This is what I do now when I am
discouraged or depressed. I just have to talk with him about the situation and
he brings thoughts in my mind that encourage me.
Today I was
feeling sad so I talked with God about what was upsetting me. The song, “You
Lift Me Up,” came into my mind. Words like, “You lift me up so I can stand on
mountains. You lift me up to walk on stormy seas…” I pictured Jesus walking
beside me through a stormy sea. Then I remembered what he said to his disciples
when they were afraid their boat would sink in a storm and they would die.
Jesus said to them, “Why were you afraid? Where is your faith?”
Oh my, how these thoughts from God comforted
and strengthened me! The sadness lifted and I felt like painting, while before
I talked with God I wanted to go to bed and put the covers over my head. This
is what our God does for us. He is a, “Wonderful Counselor,” as the Bible says.
