Waking From a Dream

You know that feeling when you have slept well and it is time to wake up. Slowly your mind begins to come out of an alternative consciousness, realizing the real world is waiting. At times you cling to the dream state - wanting to stay in a state of rest and the idealistic world of pleasant dreams that is so far removed from reality.

Then there are those times you run toward the light of reality. Plagued by restless sleep and disturbing dreams, reality is much more attractive than that "sleep of death".

How often life it like that!  We have periods of unrealistic euphoria, where life is lived through rose colored glasses.  We push away anything that may remind us that life isn't always as idealistic as we feel it is. We are teenagers in love, only able to see how wonderful things are, and unwilling to see fault or upcoming pitfalls.

Life can also be a very bad dream.  When everything seems covered in a hazy mist, or oppressive fog, of pain, hurt, betrayal, and sin. We can't see what is in front of us. Light struggles to get through so we live in a world of darkness and shadows. We yearn for the light, but fear what it will reveal. We "rather bear those ills we have/ Than fly to others we know not of".  At times we try to move the fog on our own, believing we caused it so it is our duty to make it go away. Other times we lash out at the injustice of others placing that fog around us,  yelling "Its not fair!" and expecting that a just God would remove it all. Then there are those most dark of times when we just want to give in to the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" and instead of "by opposing, end them" we are ready "to die, to sleep".

So often the church's response to those times makes them more difficult. We are told to fight our Goliaths with the faith of David; to search our hearts for the sin that so easily entangles and through repentance break the chains of sin and darkness. There are platitudes of "just keep looking up" and "keep on your knees praying". Much like Polonius's speech to his departing son in Shakespeare's Hamlet, while full of wonderful and true wisdom, they miss the mark. They are like the ghost king, telling us to fight a battle that is not ours, with strength and wisdom we do not have.

No matter what the cause or situation, those darkest of times will never be solved by any work of our own. When overcome with darkness, we know are incapable of fighting our Goliaths. Many times there aren't even Goliaths to be fought, but fiery furnaces to be endured! Our own sin clouds our view of itself. We can't look up because we can't see and we can not pray because there are no words.

"I am the light of the world" There is only one way out of those dark times - God. He is the only One who can see through the darkness of sin. He is the only One with the strength to fight our Goliaths. He is the only One who can withstand the fiery furnace. He is the only One with the words to express what our hearts yearn for. Only He has the faith to move mountains.

And He loves us so much, that He does all those things for us! He gives us His strength and His weapons to fight Goliath. He wraps us with his protection to endure the furnace. The Holy Spirit prays for us when words fail. His Son took on all our sin, paid for them and has given us His righteousness.

So if you are in one of those times of complete darkness, when all seems hopeless, and you feel utterly powerless, be encouraged. Though you cannot see, you cannot speak, you cannot hear - God is doing it all. He is carrying you. He is fighting the battles. He has forgiven the sin. He is the light and He is there working, powerful and active even if you can't see it.

He is bringing you out of that terrible dream. Keep fighting knowing He is doing the battle. Keep

enduring, knowing He is your protection. Keep praying, knowing He has the words and already knows your heart. Keep looking up, because He is lifting your head.

Unlike Hamlet, we are not stuck in a tragedy. Our journey does not end in an "undiscovered country, from whose bourn/No traveller returns". When we awake from this dream, it is to find ourselves wrapped in life and light, in the arms of One who has prepared for us "more than we can ask or imagine" because He defeated the darkness and came back to take us home.

And I know.....because He is doing it for me!

Surprised By Monsters

I have never done a movie review before, but today's fun family activity took me by surprise.  Monsters Inc. has been a family favorite since it was released in 2001. "Boo" was one of our oldest's first words. We were excited to finally see Disney/Pixar's prequal, Monsters University, this afternoon.

It was what I have come to expect from a Pixar movie - fun, well done and positive. What surprised me were the messages contained in Monsters University - because they fly in the face of just about every other family movie, especially Disney movies.

I have come to expect children's movies to contain characters who defy authority only to have them justified by the results.  Frequently our children are given the message that it is ok to do whatever they want, as long as the results are good. Heroes in everything from Curious George to Harry Potter do not need to be held responsible for their "bad" behavior if everything turns out ok in the end. The end justifies the means. As a Christian, I have a very hard time with that message. God gives us very clear boundaries of "right" and "wrong" and though He always uses our "wrong" to His glory and our benefit, there are still consequences to wrong decisions and breaking His laws. Even if our intentions are good, they do not justify sin.

The second message contained in most family movies is "you can do anything if you put your mind to it and don't let anyone tell you otherwise". While it sounds like a noble concept to instill in children, but it is an outright lie. We all have limits and weaknesses, and sometimes they are ones that we cannot change. No matter how much she studies, practices, fights or dreams about playing football for the Bears, my petite gentle daughter is not going to be able to do it! (Not that she'd want to, but I think you get the idea.)  I don't want my children following their dreams, I want them discovering God's plan, His dream, His design for their life and making His their own.  I want them to pursue, study, practice, and fight to be who He has created them to be, not necessarily what they want to be. What they want to be may not be what they were created to do.

This is why Monsters University surprised me so much.  I will try to explain without giving any spoilers! There is a very clear message of design.  Mike begins dreaming of his work at Monsters Inc. during an elementary class field trip to the plant. He studies, works, graduates and finally arrives at Monsters U to master his chosen field. Sully arrives at the school assuming he will excel simply because of his family background and natural talent. During the course of the film, both characters learn that sometimes your dream is not your design and it takes more than a dream, talent, hard work and education. While all those are included in their eventual arrival at Monsters Inc, it does not happen in the way either character expects.  Both characters learn to accept who they were created to be, that nothing can be taken for granted, and sometimes in life the road we want to follow is not the best one for us.

The second message that surprised me was one of consequences. Mike and Sully make some very poor decisions through out the movie. They are prideful, mean and selfish. They use each other, and friends, for their own purposes. They directly defy school rules and the authority of the school dean - but - they don't get away with it! Pride leaven them sad and alone. Arrogance causes them to be publicly humiliated. Defying authority, changes the entire course of their lives, putting them into  humble positions  having to work harder and prove themselves more than they would had if they hadn't.  They accept the consequences of their actions by taking full responsibility, asking for and offering forgiveness, and humbly submitting to authority. While the school dean is portrayed as being mean and heartless through most of the movie, she has a change of heart toward the end.

Obviously Sully and Mike end up achieving a lot in their fictional lives. This is a prequel, so unless you have yet to see the first movie, you know where they end up. How they get there, and the messages they teach, make this movie worthwhile seeing. It will probably end up in our video library once it is released on DVD.


(Side note)
There are some dark and intense moments during the climax of the film that had my younger ones stressed, but they do not last long and end with some comic relief.