@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 Click To Tweet 'When trouble comes, focus on God's ability to care for you.' Quote by Charles Stanley https://bit.ly/2X47CpJ #perspective #encouragement Click To Tweet
Comments 8
It’s bad, and this is the heartbreaking and uplifting reality.
They say that God has got this,
that cancer’s in His sphere,
but I think I’ll take a miss
at what He’s doing here.
Five times to the dunny
in an hour or less,
and when I’m late it isn’t funny
when Barb cleans up the mess.
But I guess that it had been this way
up upon the bloody Cross,
and who am I, really, to say,
that the comparison’s a loss,
for on the road to Calvary
He soiled Himself…just like me.
Author
Andrew: You understand suffering in a way few of us can. And you’ve spun the dross of ongoing pain into poetry. Honest words. That takes a rare type of courage, my friend. Many people have tried to unravel the walk of faith and suffering. Preached on it. Written on it. Many more lived it out in quiet choices, day by day. God meets us each morning … He promises he never leaves us or forsakes us, even when we doubt that very promise. Not that I’m saying you are. You’re a man of both faith and courage.
Beth, on this very worst of mornings, knees locked to even stand, I am so grateful for these words.
Author
Andrew: God’s got you, friend. I know this is true.
This is a shout Hallelujah post!!! Thank you for the encouragement, Beth. I was feeling pretty melancholy yesterday and shared a little of why when I was lunching with a friend. She hugged me (yeah I know) and told me to focus on what God has done in the past and that he will be just as faithful now and in the future. 🙂
Author
Anne: I’m so thankful for friends who point us in the right direction — toward truth and yes, sometimes toward the past and remembering God’s faithfulness. Praying for you, friend.
Helpful applicable comments AND you’ve made me want to see that movie! I’m back at farm where thankfully the most exciting thing last night was watching a neighboring farmer cutting his 2nd crop of hay even by headlights long past twilight to make the most of this good weather. I read headlines about those identified as greatly adding to at least our Minneapolis riots and cheer for those who make hay while the sun shines–and even when it doesn’t shine!
Author
Dee: Sometimes it’s good to look around and be thankful for the simple things, isn’t it?