God Can Use All Things – Even Crappy Movies
Sometimes God humbles us using the things or
people we least expect. He can use all
things, even crappy movies.
In the summertime, when there was a surge of
Christian or Bible-related stories hitting mainstream theaters in North
America, I was intrigued and watched a Christian-themed movie called “God’s Not Dead”. The movie stars a college freshman who feels that his Christian faith is
contested and challenged by his philosophy professor who strongly advocates
that “God is dead”. The remainder of the movie depicts the freshman and
professor both debating their sides of this well-trodden debate and ultimately,
with the freshman winning over his philosophy class. A series of subplots also
happened simultaneously and the culmination of the movie ends with a bang at a Newsboys concert, with everyone rocking
out to the Newsboys “God’s Not Dead”
which they dedicate to the freshman who is seen as a role model of standing up
for his faith.
To be honest, I thought it was a terrible movie. Every stereotypical characteristic that was placed on Christians and non-Christians seems to have been thoroughly employed. From the unyielding atheist professor (who really was angry at God for the loss of his mother) to the stubborn and unrelenting freshman, it was the epitome of clichés. Against the backdrop of this main plot, the simultaneous subplots were equally as typical. In other words, every line from the movie was virtually predicable and silly.
So imagine my great surprise when my mom told
me over the phone one day that she also watched the movie. My surprise came in
twofold, one, that my mom actually watched an English movie (as in, English
speaking) as this is rare and far in-between, and two, that she actually liked it. In fact, she enjoyed the movie
so much that she proceeded to watch it again with my dad when he came home from
work. Trying my best to hide my surprise over the phone, I was curious as to
what she saw in the movie that I did not. She proceeded to tell me that it
showed her things about my environment as a North-American university student
and the norms of my life at school, and Christian young adults as well. To be
honest, she has never really set foot into a North-American university aside
from the one that I attend and was truthfully, quite ignorant to its workings
and environment. I began to explain that the movie was not
really a good comparison for the realities of life as a Christian in
university, but realized that it was undeniable that it was definitely through this
movie that she came to appreciate the environment in which I live in and empathized
with certain struggles faced by me as a Christian on campus. This was quite a
big revelation to her as her typical work environment was very far removed from
my own, and as much as I tried to describe to her the different worlds we
faced, she never seemed to quite able to fully visualize it.
After some other banal chatter about other
random events throughout the day, we ended our conversation, however I was left
with this sense of slight bewilderment at the drastic difference of opinion my mom
and I had about the same movie. This movie actually helped her understand
something that I was unable to show her for many years. I just couldn't get
that idea out of my head.
It left me with a strange feeling, the kind of
feeling you get when you’re on the edge of a slight breakthrough in thought. I
was humbled by my mother’s words and all the great things she learned from this
movie. She went in without any criticism or prejudgment and watched the movie
with the simple expectation of learning more about God through it. I believe
God really did honour her expectations, and she did receive what she was
looking for. Perhaps if I went in with
those expectations, I would have received more from this experience.
And I then realized: if I really believe in a
God that is omnipotent, all able, then surely He is able to use all things. If He really is the Creator
of all things, then in some way, all
things, point to Him.
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. – Mat7:7
For those earnestly seeking the Truth, I
believe that He will reveal Himself to them.
Perhaps, using even the most unlikely of situations, the most unassuming
people and things! In fact, using the most unassuming of things, people and
situations is really in line with his character: using mere fishermen and tax
collectors to spread his gospel, a mere shepherd, considered the least among his brothers to lead his people Israel, and even God Almighty was born in the
most humblest of places and had the simple profession of a carpenter. Heck, He
even uses us, these broken people,
for good. (How cool is that!?) Using
things that most people overlook can show His glory and He can be glorified
while we are humbled.
All to say, this experience led me once again to realize that His ways are far above my
ways. He can use all things to
show his glory and majesty, and I certainly should not underestimate any little thing
that he chooses to use, even crappy movies J
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