After Earth - dealing with fear

Last night I went to see the latest movie from M. Night Shyamalan, After Earth. Mr. Shyamalan, the creator of the famous ending-bender The Sixth Sense, has been ripped by critics for much of his work since then. I think that's unfair. In my opinion, The Sixth Sense created an expectation that his movies would have fantastic endings that was impossible to live up to. Especially when you go into the movie looking for a shocking ending - the anticipation spoils the possibility of being shocked.

I actually have loved his movies, and my favorite is Signs, and here's why: This movie, like all of his work, explores themes of what life is about and the things that drive us as humans. In Signs, it was faith - do you believe that there is a higher purpose to the seemingly random things that happen in your life? Is is possible that there are no coincidences? In fact, this is perhaps my favorite scene from any movie:



In After Earth, that theme is fear.

The premise of the movie briefly is this: A crash landing has a father and son (played by Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith) stranded on Earth, a planet abandoned by humanity 1.000 years ago after cataclysmic events. With the father critically injured, it's up to the boy to go on a journey for help, facing difficult terrain, dangerous animals, and an unstoppable creature that escaped during the crash. And here's the kicker: the creature is blind, but can find you by smelling the chemicals released by fear.

And so, the boy's survival depends on his ability to control his fear. Not just the external signs of it - the fear itself. How can one do that?

And thus the key quote coming from the father who is trying to help his son survive is this:

Fear is not real. It is a product of the thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger is very real. But fear is a choice.

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Joshua was standing near the edge of the river Jordan. His mentor Moses has just died after a long a faithful life of serving the Lord God of Israel, and now it was all up to this young man. Can you imagine how intimidating the task? He was now the leader of a vast nation charged with making sure they fulfilled the promise that God had made to them. Who wouldn't be afraid?

So in the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God tells Joshua three times to "be strong and courageous," and once the negative version of that - to not be afraid or discouraged. Then, at the end of the chapter, the men Joshua must command tell him to be strong and courageous. I'm linda thinking he was looking pretty frightened.

How?
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So, is the father's quote from After Earth true? Of course he's right about the danger. It is very real. In the movie, the son was to face multiple threats to his very survival. For Joshua, the dangers of the pagans occupying the promised land were very real, and would kill a lot of Israelites before the mission was completed. And the dangers in your life are real too. But is the fear real?

That's what I love about movies like this. They get us asking all the right questions. My thoughts? In a way the father is right - fear is in our minds and thus under our control. But how much power do I really have to control it on my own? I gotta tell ya - on my own, it gets out of control.

But I'm not on my own. Like Joshua, I have the God of the universe standing beside me if I will just ask. In the chapter linked above, he told Joshua that 1) God was giving the land to the people, 2) no one would be able to stand against him, 3) God would always be with him, and 4) to do all this, Joshua would need to know Scripture and obey.

So how can I conquer fear? My answer is that it's by remembering that the One who is over all stands with me, has given me a work to do, and will never leave or forsake me.
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There are a lot of good movies this summer. If you can, squeeze in After Earth. It's good to ask these questions...and it's nothing to be afraid of.

Foolproof

Foolproof. An adjective that is used way too often. "Our marketing plan is foolproof." The instructions for putting this cabinet together are foolproof." Or, in the movies, it seems they villain's plan is always foolproof.

Yeah, right.

It's a strong term, and an almost impossible standard. No, probably not just almost...it is impossible. We human beings can mess up anything.

Yep, we can...but not the God of the universe. His plans are indeed foolproof...especially when the fool is me.

I cam across this Scripture from Psalm 69:5-6 in my morning devotional:

O God, you know my foolishness, 

and my faults are not hidden from you. 

Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, Lord God of hosts; 

let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me, O God of Israel.

 What a powerful prayer! Because my foolishness is so vast. I open my mouth when I should keep it shut. I keep silent when I should stand up for somebody weaker than me. I let my desire to be liked affect way too much of what I do. I procrastinate like nobody's business. I do things without thinking them all the way through. Foolishness.

How liberating that I can pray to a King so powerful, loving, and wise that he is able to protect me from myself. Not meaning that the consequences don't come - not at all. But rather that he will take it and use it to display his glory and for the good of his eternal purposes.

And so I can pray with confidence: Yes, Lord, I have plenty of faults and you know them. But please protect those I love from getting caught in the crossfire. And protect those who serve you from getting blamed for my foolishness.

This is such a comfort right now as we approach our departure for Africa. As the team leader there is so much to do. So many details. So many chances to forget something or mess something up. It could be crippling....but it's not. I am relaxed because I'm resting in him.  It's not going to be a successful trip because of me. It's because of Jesus.

Please pray for me and the team as we continue our preparations. Because the One you pray to is the One who is doing the work. And he will bring it to fruition.

His plans ARE...

foolproof.

A lot of people

Ok, in the category of "duh"...there are A LOT of people in the world.

Yeah, sometimes things you "know" just kind of hit you out of the blue. That happened to me as I was descending toward a landing in NYC Friday. I looked down at the rows and rows and rows and rows of house and thought, "Wow, that's a ton of people!"

Then of course, when I found myself walking down the streets of Manhattan it was even more obvious. You could fill stadiums just with the folks in the general vicinity of Times Square on a Saturday night.

It hit me one more time as I was sitting in a theatre seat waiting for a show. I thought about the fact that the show is performed 7-8 times per week and the place is packed every night. And this happens at dozens of theatre venues all over town. And in London. And in touring shows all over the world.

Yes, there are alot of people on this planet...

And God loves every one of them. He has a plan for our universe crafted from his infinite wisdom with perfect love, and executed by his unlimited power. When I think of how is able to work his purpose for each person in the world, considering all the permutations of how my actions affect you, and your actions affect him, and his actions affect her...and on and on...the mathematician in me blows a fuse. And yet that is exactly what he is able to do. In perfect wisdom with perfect love for every...single...one.

No wonder Paul wrote:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33, NIV)

Beyond tracing out indeed! Especially when you see how many people there are.

Wow...just wow.