Learning a Life Lesson from a Mission: Impossible Movie
@bethvogt
Let’s talk about the movie Mission: Impossible 3, shall we?
No spoilers, I promise, although the movie released in 2006.
My family’s been watching the Tom Cruise series and my son-in-love says the third movie is his favorite. I’m all for a good chase scene and you’re guaranteed at least one of those in an M: I movie, plus crazy stunts and I-didn’t-see-that-coming plot twists.
There’s a particularly tense scene in M: I 3 that had me covering my face, my legs pulled up to my chest. I couldn’t not watch, even as the villain’s threats escalated. But here’s the thing: I knew how the scene ended because we’d watched the movies out of order – crazy, I know! Because of our back and forth viewing, I knew the character survived the villain’s threats because they were alive in a later M: I film.
Why was I so freaked out if I knew everything turned out okay? (Let’s forget the fact I was watching a movie – that the person being threatened was fictional.)
And here’s where I transition to real life.
I’m not living in a Tom Cruise movie being chased by super-villains, but there’s no denying life has been hard this year.
Real life means facing a pandemic. Financial and professional stressors. The daily question of “what now?” The never-ending tug-of-war between everyone’s opinions and expectations.
Some days I get so anxious I want to crawl into bed, cover my face with my hands, and curl my legs up to my chest … and stay that way.
But I’m a woman who professes to live by faith in God and his plans for me – his plans for the entire world. I know how this story ends even if I’m unsure what will happen today or tomorrow.
God’s got me.
God’s got this.
If I truly believe this, then why do I get so anxious?
Because I lose focus.
I’m walking by sight, not by faith.
I’m swayed by other people’s opinions, rather than resting my heart in the comfort of the Truth.
I’m asking, “What if?” instead of recalling how God has been there for me in the past.
Walking by faith isn’t some leisurely walk in the park. Faith is, first and last, a matter of trust. We trust God to be who he is. We trust God to accomplish what he says he will do. We trust God with our lives – today, tomorrow … on into eternity.
Trust is a choice – and choosing is a deliberate act of our will that overrides our emotions. When times are hard, will we choose to keep trusting God – or is he suddenly untrustworthy? Will we believe the villain wins … or will we remember everything we know about God?
Asking “what if?” is a waste of time that wears down our brave. During times like these that are hard and scary and complicated and confusing, it’s wiser to remember how God has provided for us in the past. God was in the midst of our past struggles and he’s here now.
Learning a Life Lesson from a Mission: Impossible Movie https://bit.ly/2X47CpJ #trust #faith
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'When trouble comes, focus on God's ability to care for you.' Quote by Charles Stanley https://bit.ly/2X47CpJ #perspective #encouragement
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