I was watching "Man on Fire" last night which is a story of a man who has reached a place of terrible guilt and despair and loneliness in his life and tries to take his life only to have the bullet fail. He is also an alcoholic, using the booze to drown his pain. In the midst of this he is offered and takes a job as a bodyguard and driver for a wealthy Mexican family who have a little girl, Pita. She is played by Dakota Fanning, who is brilliant in the role. In the midst of his duties, Pita brings a smile back to the face of Keasey (played by Denzel Washington) and makes him feel alive and loved again. Then she is kidnapped. And (MOVIE WARNING: END TO BE GIVEN!!!) it seems at one point she must have been killed. Creasey goes for justice on all those involved. Then he finds after his rampage, she is alive and he has gotten close enough to the one responsible (taking his brother) that the villain is willing to trade the girl for his brother's and Creasey's life. Creasey agrees. And it is the most honorable and beautiful trade one can imagine, almost.
Creasey's willingness to give his life for Pita is truly moving, but I think that what this touches in me and makes me cry, God always does even better than the best stories. And that is why this touches me. I want to see a great hero give his life honorably to save someone he loves deeply. I want to be that man, and I realize I would do this for my children. Gladly. It would be an honor. And that is exactly was Jesus has done for me. He gave himself for me. He was taken, willingly, and went to die for me. So I could go home. and live. And everything this movie touches in me I should realize is what God should touch down deep, and let him do it.
I think when we see great stories that move us, something is being touched in us that God has probably somewhere done even better. And wants us to know in Him, and allow Him to be close to us.
Disclaimer: the movie "Man on Fire" is quite violent. Creasey is truly enraged at the taking of Pita. And he spares no mercy. You may want to avoid that part of the movie. Nevertheless, if you are the kind of person that is offended by this then I suggest you read Psalm 18:1-19. God does the same thing. He is more like Creasey than Creasey. Creasey wanted revenge (and justice) and God will have His vengeance and true justice will be done, and He will part the heavens and come down amidst thunderbolts and the routing of His enemies (and ours). Why? Because in our distress we call to the Lord, and He saves us from our enemies. Any view we have of a passive God who is distant and unconcerned is simply wrong. And further why? And this is incredible, "he rescued me because he delighted in me." v 19. If we think that movies like "Taken" or "Man on Fire" are too violent, I suggest we do not have a grasp of the wildness of the love of God. And what ends God will go to to rescue us, His beloved children. If you have had children then you and I have some sense of the love God has for us when we think of our children being taken by disease, or evil men, or... The only difference is, and we find this hard, is that God's timing is not ours. But I wonder how much He is waiting for us to truly call and cry out to Him, and stop turning to false gods and fake answers. He wants us to want Him, and then I think we will begin to see how He is better than all the things that have moved us.
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