A couple of weeks ago, I watched the end of the movie Days of Thunder. I don’t’ know what the reviews were/are for the movie. In my book, it’s got to go down as one of the best ever. It’s a very simple glory plot: the protagonist is a flamboyant and arrogant racecar driver, who achieves early success, suffers a painful accident/lost that creates a seemingly insurmountable fear (psychological), resulting in subsequent failures, and a general collapse; and at the end, overcomes the fear in climatic stance that leads to victory…sweet victory! I tell ya. makes you want to jump out of your seat and celebrate…yell…whatever! Of course, there are the supporting casts that add to the fullness of the movie, like his car designer/mentor, and the female partner that stays by his side.
In the genre of glory movies, this movie’s ending has to be in the top 10. I love the ending….did I say that already? The climax with Cole Trical confronted with his greatest fear - the cloud of smoke. He is unable to see past the smoke. Though the correct response is not to drive cautiously and timidly through the smoke, but rather to accelerate through it, he is not fully convinced because of his prior accident. At that moment of decision and action, his mind is racing back and forth; somewhat paralyzed, yet stretching out with belief. He ultimately commits himself fully by slamming on the accelerator. He goes through the cloud, emerging to the other side where vision and reality is restored, both literally and figuratively. He yells in excitement. The fear is removed, he is liberated and now uninhibited to drive, to drive – metaphorically to live, to live! Man, if that doesn’t get the blood flowing?!
All right, this blog is getting long. Rather than get into how this movie connects with my childhood, I’ll just jump right to the point. I think the movie climax parallels faith and our desire to live fully for God. Often times, the cloud of smoke for us is the world and the American dream. There’s nothing wrong with that, but sometimes things like our job, home, and savings provide security that inhibits us from seeing as we cling on to these things rather than Him. We don’t let go because we’re scared of living in faith, though God tells us to believe in Him and thrust through the smoke. Many of times, I remembered driving through the smoke, and as a result, feeling liberated. Like Cole Trical, it is a purity and freedom to drive/live for the Lord…..…Somehow the smoke always reappears in other forms of fear, and with greater intensity. For me, I know what to do, the question is whether I continue to floor the accelerator throughout my life, or slow down and take it a little easier. ……I believe that when we do thrust through the smoke; fear is conquered, victory attained, and glory achieved - we become more like Him.
Also, the movie parallels glory. There is in the human makeup a desire to be glorified. Ours is not to find it outside of Him, but rather to receive glory when He is primariy sought and glorified. In the dynamics of it all…we follow…we thrust through in faith…we are glorified while he ultimately glorified through are thrusting in faith Does that make sense?
As a note, the parallels aren’t perfect b/c we do have relationship with our Lord, which can’t quite be conveyed through a race car movie. J haha…
It’s too long…aahh?. Oh wells, I ‘ll read and comment on myself! Haha…
gear
I had a great time at WCC this past weekend. It wasn’t so much the speaker, though he was excellent, as the people who attended the conference. It’s amazing to worship and fellowship with kingdom-minded folks who desire to know the Lord, take risk for Him, and worship Him. While I was worshipping, I thought of John 17, and realized that if the world could peer into the worship time - people with hearts dedicated to God, unified in His Spirit, and directed by the passion for His glory - they would indeed bear witness that Jesus is the truth. Perhaps nothing else speaks greater volume about truth than personal lives touched, gripped, and unified – that the World may know!
I also realized each of these conferees have a unique story and testimony to share, filled with ups and downs, yet with God’s presence constant in their lives. It shows that perfected lives aren’t filled with only ups, and what we would consider victorious lives - that being straight. Rather perfected lives display struggles, which doesn’t remove us from the pain of humanity, even plunging us to greater suffering, but entrenched and exalted in faith, to show authenticity and depth under the umbrella of glorifying Him. That as, His glory is interconnected in making us like Him, changing us from glory to glory through our allegiance and service to Him.
Yeah, I’m on sort of a high now. The experience really just reconnected me with the reality behind this reality. Behind the feel, smell, and site of nature, of creation, and of time, there is a greater reality of a creator, of a heaven, and of a everlasting purpose. It is likened to Isaiah 6, where the seraphs are worshipping God. Though the seraphs aren’t something we see on this earth, it does speak of a reality beyond reality - the rational, and limitations of this world. In this scene, there are certain familiar objects like throne, train of his robe, temple...intermingled with unfamiliar objects/experiences like the seraphs, thundering voice,….all converging, pointing, and giving evidence of God…. It’s like a planets revolving around an object, though we can’t see the object, it does point towards and gives certainty to a Sun/Star. May the Lord be the Sun, in which I revolve my life, regardless of what sometimes seems so unlikely and unreal. My choice is to believe and hold on to the hope and assurance found in the son. He has risen! If that’s not pointing at something greater, what is?
Alrights, I tend to write too much for blogs.
gear