He's Here

Movies, they're my thing. I love them. I could spend days sitting in a dark theatre, eating popcorn, and running away to a world of talking animals, concrete jungles, or enchanted forests. I love movies, I love the escape, I love being a part another's life, falling in love with the characters, and watching people fall in and out of love. It's beautiful really.
In the past few years, Christian movies such as Fireproof, To Save a Life, and Soul Surfer have hit the big screens. These movies are all clear portrayals of Christ in a film setting, but it's the movies that aren't seemingly "Christian" where I think God can show up in incredible ways. There are tons of films that are centered around the theme of restoration and coming into the light at the end of a really dark tunnel. It's amazing how much credit can be given to one human being for recovering from drugs, getting off the streets, or what have you, when really God is right at the center of the story. God is present, and is moving in the lives of the people on screen and off.
Our world right now, this generation, has a very large focus on restoration, helping the poor, serving, saving the planet, etc. Do you not think that God is glorified through it? Atheists can glorify God, it's true, they just might not know it. It's amazing to me how filmmakers can portray God without portraying, well, God.
It's heartbreaking to watch a movie where the main character fumbles around in a dark world, waiting for something greater to come. It's those movies that bring an ultimate feeling of desperate brokenness. At the end of the film, all the viewer can do is sigh, wipe the tears from their face, and leave the theater feeling heavy laden. Where was God in this movie? The answer, just like always, is that He was most likely walking right beside this melancholy character begging them to simply turn around.
Eat, Pray, Love was one of these movies for me. The poor girl goes on a quest around the world and ends with nothing more than an empty soul, a few extra pounds, and a few great pictures. It's depressing. Why in the world did she feel the need to wander around the earth eating carbs and having sex? Because, she was searching for something, something greater than herself. It's that simple.
God shows up all the time. It's challenging to remove myself from my own self centeredness to actually see how God is moving all around me. We, as humans, have a difficult time identifying the face of God when we are busy, constantly moving, constantly searching. It is the moments where I put my thoughts on pause and take a quick moment to look around that I see God everywhere, moving, breathing, and begging for my attention. He's here. He showed up, just like he did yesterday, and the day before that. All I have to do is slow down and look for it. I need to recognize His beauty that He has placed all around me. It's amazing really, how unobservant we are. How much we take for granted.
God's in the movies, He's in the world, He's here.