One More Movie Tip

Yeah, I saw another movie the other day.

It was "Stardust", with Michelle Phieffer, Robert DeNiro, and others.

I happened to really enjoy it. It's a fantasy and a fairy tale and a love story all rolled into one. Beautiful scenery. Neat special effects. The narrative moves along with interesting twists and turns.

I won't go all into the plot. Just go see it. It's a refreshing, entertaining escape.

It's hard to resist the opportunity to draw out the "lessons" that I picked up as I viewed it. Let me simply say that I observed that most of the characters were on a quest of some kind. The wicked witch Lamia was seeking eternal youth and beauty. The sons of a recently deceased king were vying to succeed him, doing whatever it took to attain power. Captain Shakespeare, who commanded a pirate air ship, sought to hold on to a position of respect among his men despite his conflicted lifestyle. Our hero, young Tristan, was trying to win the heart of a girl and thus was looking for love. All of them desperately wanted to connect to a falling star who turned out to be a lovely maiden. Some of these persons end up being destroyed by their anxious hunt, while others find what they were looking for and more.

It occurs to me that all of us are on a quest. Sometimes we're looking for the wrong thing. Sometimes we're looking for the right thing, but in the wrong places. Others have stopped dreaming and searching, and so are simply existing, biding their time until death shows up.

Whether we realize it or not, what we're really seeking is Jesus. Augustine said a long time ago that "our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee." When we find and embrace Christ, the scattered pieces of our lives begin to come together. Life starts making sense, even if it's not any easier. We sense fulfilment. Verses like John 10:10 and John 14:6 and Matthew 11:28-30 and Proverbs 3:5-6 seem to address that.

To be sure, after we meet Jesus there'll still be quests. He'll send us out on adventures and hunts and exploits. In fact, I think He'll do that with us in eternity, too. Other galaxies and universes, maybe? But the difference for Christ-followers, both now and then, is that we'll have settled, satisfied hearts at the core. And we'll not need to search for power or fame. We'll not have to bother with frantically pursuing love because we've found that in Him. There'll be no reason to grasp for unending youthfulness and energy and attractiveness since we're gonna possess that one day even if it is slowly dissipating now. If you have Jesus, you have everything! Both body and soul will ultimately be complete in Him.

Now our quests are for other people to introduce to our Saviour. Now our hunts are for ever more godly character as we wind and work our way through trials and troubles. These days we seek to know Him better as we wander about His Word. Sometimes we go out on dashing mountaintop experiences with the Lord while at other times we move slowly and painfully through valleys alongside Him.

Okay, so "Stardust" is just a movie. Relax, get some popcorn, and sit back and let the intriguing story and dazzling images refresh you. But rejoice inwardly at the prospect that for ages and ages to come there'll be wonders and jaunts and journeys for us all under the protecting guidance of our awesome God. And, oh, by the way, Jesus is the "bright morning star" who came to earth once upon a time, literally, to transform our lives.

And He is infinitely more beautiful than the fair Yvaine!