Always Showing: The Movie of Your Life
Imagine for a moment that you are sitting in an empty theater in the dark, watching the movie of your life, and Jesus comes into the theater and sits down beside you…
He asks, “What are you watching?
“My life,” you reply.
Jesus says, “You know, there are other movies that you can watch if you want to.”
You reply, “No, this is the only one playing.”
Jesus says, “Actually, you don’t need to watch a movie at all. Why don’t you press pause? It’s a beautiful day outside… would you like to go for a walk?”
“I can’t leave the theater.”
“What makes you say that?” Jesus asks.
You don’t answer because the truth is that you don’t really know why you continue to sit there and watch the same movie over and over again.
Jesus finally stands up and says, “I’ll be right in the back row there watching along with you… if you find an answer to my question, or if you want to leave at any time, just let me know.”
You nod and continue to watch the same scenes on repeat.
Now, you may not know why you keep sitting there, replaying an endless loop of your past traumas, failures, and future fears, but I know why…
You are so committed to this movie because you believe a lie from the enemy. Don’t think that you’re being lied to? Then how do I know that what petrifies you the most is failing… again? How do I know that this fear causes you to press “play” continuously? It’s because I know the script. The lie that the enemy tells all of us is the same: You’re not good enough, smart enough, important enough, capable enough, or worthy enough to create a story line twist, or to turn the movie off. One lie is dangerous enough to determine the ending, especially when there’s leverage involved…
The enemy loves to create the illusion of being stuck in order to delay God’s perfect plans. What dreams and goals have been delayed because you feel trapped by fear? What leverage is the enemy holding over you that causes you to stay in these reruns? Maybe it’s time to take those fears to God and let Him show you some truth. Although the leverage and sacrifices look different for all of us, the lie is still the same, and that is the movie’s opening scene! How does God intervene?
We were not created to survive, we were made to thrive! God loves to interrupt the movie of our lives with evidence that contradicts the enemy’s lies. The interjections come in the form of new opportunities, “exit” signs, open doors where we only saw walls, relationships that are meant to guide us away from the enemy’s script and toward SCRIPTURE, and turning on the light of truth to shake us from deception. What this looks like is pressing pause. Sometimes it’s in the pause between the pain and the joy; between the past and the future, that we discover Jesus. It’s when we are alone with Him that we discover healing. You’re not stuck in the pain, you’re being held and comforted. You’re not too far gone, you’re being healed. You’re not lost, you’re being called back.
So, ask yourself why you’re so committed to watching this movie despite God’s interjections. At the end of the day, when your tired legs carry you over to the projector to press “play” again, seek Jesus instead. This is why He leaves the 99 to sit there with you. He wants to show you the truth—the new movie, the new script, the alternate ending. So, let me give you God’s SCRIPTURE:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” —Jeremiah 29:11
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” —Romans 12:2
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” —Ezekiel 36:26
The lie isn’t real. The leverage is just a ruse. The sacrifice is how the enemy wins and steers you from your true path. Jesus has been sitting there with you all this time, waiting for you to stand up and press PAUSE. If you spend that time allowing Him to show you His script for your life, you will finally be free of the fear.
So make today the day that you go for that walk with Jesus. Enjoy your time with Him as He guides you back home, and let the memory of that dark theater become the past. This is the end of an intense drama, and the start of an exciting new adventure.
Written by: Michelle TK
Extra: Listen to this story where an Angel frees the apostles from prison… (3.5 minutes.) https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-stories/7/apostles-set-free/