Avatar, Jesus and my New Year’s Resolution
So I’m sitting home alone, I just took a nap and feel like crap. However, my foggy head is starting to clear. A good cup of Starbucks helps with that. I’m feeling quite reflective at the moment and am missing Naomi and the kids.
So this past new years I caught myself staring out the window praying and asking God for what He thought I should focus on in the coming year. I felt like he said, “people”. In my mind I replied back to Him and said, “but God that’s my job, that’s what I already do every day. My whole job description is about people.” And yet it felt like He just said, “focus on who they are, who i have made & called them to be. Pray that you would see them as I see them. Be more intentional. Don’t be so rushed always.” I agreed and didn’t think much further about it, except that I would try and do so.
This past Monday I went and saw Avatar with my sister. Fresh off of my conversation with God I was struck by the phrase “I See you.” The Na’vi, when they meet each other, greet each other with the phrase “I see you.” Of course they physically see each other, but to the characters in the movie there was a much deeper meaning. There was this understanding, a shared empathy between both individuals, a recognition of sameness (why they greeted Jake that way even before he was fully Na’vi), an acknowledgment of the divine.
While I don’t want to get carried away with over analyzing a plain ole fun movie to watch. It did serve to remind me to fully “see” people as God see’s them. Deeply loved, full of promise, unworthy of Christ’s grace and still the great potential to be called sons and daughter’s of the most high God. So, a good reminder for me to see people not as “us vs them” or “me and you” but see you as Christ see’s both of us. Simply, the same. Unworthy, yet patiently loved beyond measure. I don’t have that perspective nearly often enough.
So, there’s my New Years resolution for 2010. Praying to have His eyes.
Darren, this is my first time reading your blog, the title was too irresistible. Thanks for sharing and here's to praying for all of us to "see each other". Last night I had a tiny confrontation with a friend and was thinking how it is so hard love each other when you start to see flaws. Also praying to have His eyes.
Jenn Throness
Thanks for sharing Jenn. I completely agree that it is indeed very hard to see the positive when our human nature is often to focus on the negative. I trust your "confrontation" ended with grace.
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, see only the good in people. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. ~ Audrey Hepburn
Avatar is alphabetically before Jesus and New Year's Resolution:) Great to see you blogging.
Thruout the movie, I was momentarily jarred by many of the same things that were been mentioned here, but for the most part, I forgot them as my enjoyment continued. Even the heavy-handed depiction of “corporate greed” or the “over-zealous military commander” were accepted as being a important part of the film.But there one small thing that (oddly enough, I guess) irritated me. I had no way to go back and watch it again, but I’m pretty sure that when the Colonel was killed, he took his hands off the robot controls, trying to remove the arrow/bolt. Yet, with the Colonel’s death, the robot TOPPLED OVER! I would have expected such a machine just to simply stop moving and stand there.