Pride and Prejudice is one of my all-time favorite movies. LOVE me some Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (swoon). The drama, the cinematography, the clothes, the dancing and general merriment could never exhaust this Bennet-sister-wannabe.
This, of course, is after having been an avid reader of Jane Austen’s orginial masterpiece and understanding the beauty behind anything that woman writes. Truly a novelist before her time.
Obviously, movies cannot include every single intricate detail of books they derive from or we would be sitting in the theaters for hours upon hours as the actors attempt to tackle the most complex of literature in a way that was never meant to be. Books are always better. Fortunately for me though, I view the movie through the lens of knowing the character’s deeper follies and features taught throughout the book; in turn, enhancing my experience with the movie because I understand how beyond belief the match between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy truly is. I am also keenly aware of what is true and false as it pertains to the movie and extend grace where it is needed (barely). Nevertheless, movies do their best to encapture all the themes, motifs, and character developments in two hours and we appreciate them accordingly.
Understanding God’s story is quite similar.
I remember seeing a poster in a store, with probably the same vibe as a Hobby Lobby, that read something like: “God doesn’t give you a battle too large to handle” or “God gives his hardest battles to His toughest soldiers.” Sweet in sentiment, but a rather inconsistent theology. These phrases are a) not helpful whatsoever and b) not even slightly biblically accurate. I didn’t know Daniel personally, but I have good reason to believe he didn’t think being thrown in a Lion’s den was a battle he could conquer on his own accord.
There are a million things that are dressed up as if from scripture or have God’s character tacked on to it that may make us feel warm and bubbly inside, yet offers us very little of the life Jesus is actually calling us to. We cannot understand the full masterpiece of God’s redemptive story except from the literal Word of God… The Bible.
In Acts 17 Luke writes about Paul and his companion’s missionary trek as they find themselves in a land called Berea. The people of Berea welcomed the teachings of Paul but says they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed” (Acts 17:11-12).
Key phrase: they examined the Scriptures EVERY. DAY.
With as many distractions as we face in our lives, the biggest thing I have realized while on the race is the importance of testing everything with scripture. All the way from your thoughts to your theology. The character of God is often not found in what makes us feel warm and bubbly, but what challenges us to strive for holiness in our pursuit to become Christ-like.
Be in tune with what you are believing of God and what source it is coming from or we might miss out on His intended masterpiece because we are settling for the 2 hour Keira Knightly version of the real thing.
Be Berean. Test everything with scripture in order to see the true God on His throne working all things out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
