@bethvogt
Yesterday I was praying about this blog post, having pretty much determined I wouldn’t write one for today. And yes, I always pray about my blog posts.
I told God if I didn’t have an idea by five o’clock, I wouldn’t write one. No harm, no foul. I’d just figure he was giving me the week off.
Five minutes later, I had an idea.
We’ve been watching the Mission: Impossible movie series as a family. Yes, we’re back to the “Your mission, should you choose to accept it” movies. I like them because of the impressive chase scenes.
But then I realized Ethan Hunt, the hero, is more than a super spy. He also has Christ-like qualities.
There’s a common theme in the Mission: Impossible movies: Ethan Hunt will not abandon a member of his team, even if it jeopardizes the overall mission. Some of his superiors, as well as the enemies they are trying to thwart, think this is Hunt’s fatal flaw. Even Ethan Hunt himself sees it as a weakness.
But in M: I Fallout, one boss gets it right, and tells Hunt: “You had a terrible choice to make in Berlin: recover the plutonium or save your team. You chose your team, and now the world is at risk. Some flaw deep in your core being simply won’t allow you to choose between the one life and millions. Now you see that as a sign of weakness. To me that’s your greatest strength.”
Hunt’s loyalty to his individual team members makes Hunt a hero. And it also makes Hunt Christlike.
Think about it: when Jesus tells the parable of how the shepherd goes after the one lost sheep, he’s showing us how God cares for each one of us. (Luke 15:1-7) We don’t get lost in the crowd. You aren’t more important than me. I’m not more important than you … and the mission isn’t more important than any of us.
In God’s economy, we are the mission.
There are so many different messages being thrown at us these days about what is important. In a politicized arena, the emotions intensify and voices get louder and louder because people want to be heard. They want to be right. More right than anyone else.
The one true message I wish people could hear is this: God values each and every one us. He sees us. He never loses track of us.
It’s all too easy to feel lost in the crowd these days, swallowed up in negativity and discontent and doubt. Believe me, I’ve battled those days. Those doubts.
But I’m choosing to remember the truth that even if I feel lost, I know Someone is always searching for me.
Maybe you needed that reminder today, too.
Choosing to Believe We're Never Lost in the Crowd https://bit.ly/3gbAzXs #hope #faith Share on X 'Hope is a renewable option: If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning.' Quote by @b_kingsolver https://bit.ly/3gbAzXs #hope #perspective Share on X
Comments 6
Some say that hope’s renewable,
tomorrow it will fit;
I really hate to call it bull,
still more it rhymes with ‘it’.
There is a place that you may find
where hope is just a fraud;
and in that moment, dawning mind,
you’ll find that you’ve found God,
for He stands at the end of all
that we held close and dear;
we must in time accept the fall
of faith, and hand our fear
unto the One who walked before,
rolled away the stone tomb’s door.
Author
Andrew: I read your eloquent poem and am pondering the words “we must in time accept the fall of faith” and really, I see it as the fulfillment of our faith, when all we’ve hoped for and believed in — who we’ve hoped and believed in becomes sight.
Wow, what a really fun take on a good movie series. You have made me want to see that one for sure as I am not sure I have. I do believe that was a very God inspired inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing. That makes the day brighter.
Author
Dee: I’m glad my insight encouraged you, friend. I didn’t see it at first, although I never faulted Ethan Hunt for choosing his team mate over the mission. To me, it was heroic. It was a well-chosen loyalty.
Awww, Beth. I loved this post. And I love how God gave you exactly what you needed to share today. 🙂
We love the M:I series. And I know EXACTLY which scene you described in Fallout. I love how Ethan Hunt’s character develops and deepens through each movie. And how he consistently puts people over missions.
I never really put together the Christ-like facets of his character, but you’re right. I’m so thankful our Father sees us in the crowd of humanity. And that He loves us.
Author
Jeanne: One of God’s characteristics that I love is how he listens to our prayers. And yes, it’s fun to watch movies together as a family. This has been a favorite activity during the pandemic: choosing favorite movies and then discussing them while we watch them or afterward. Of course, being a writer, I can’t help but look for themes in movies. You understand. 😉