Seeing God in Everything

While I think TV, movies, media, etc. have a lot of negative things about them (sex, drugs and rock n roll? Well, I'm not certain about rock n roll. Then again, music IS a form of media, so I'm sure it has some issues too. Anyway...)

I also think that we can always pull things from media and "secular" art. Not because it is secular, but because it is human. And, as God made us in His image, and He is the great Creator, so also we have some of His creativity sturring in our bones and brains.

I just watched the critally acclaimed film the English Patient (including Best Picture 1996). Nothing like a Ralph Fiennes drama to put me in a contemplative mood. One quote stood out to me, "We are the real countries. Not boundaries drawn on maps with the names of powerful men." While the movie itself is R for various reasons (including three short but explicit scenes of nudity) it none the less contains in it gems of creativity--namely, it is wonderfully written, directed and acted. (It is about a Hungarian explorer who cares more about maps then men caught between the English and the Germans during WWII).

But, my point of all of this is how I see God in this quote. People talk of nationalism, the State, immigration, Patriarchy, etc. I think this simple quote points me back to the truth of all of these things: people, not countries or allegiences or powerful rulers, are what truly matter to God. Thus, though politics certainly has its place and discussions of these topics are definitely worth having... I am convicted to ask myself what am I doing day in and day out to express love to PEOPLE? Those living with me? Next door? Who I run into at stores and movie theaters, restaurants and walking Orion on the side walk?

The great commandment is to Love God... and to Love Others. It seems that these things matter far more than who is right or wrong about almost everything else.

DISCLAIMER: while I consider this a GOOD film, it is probably not the best movie. It was kind of a downer overall... but something about it made me think a lot, so I went with it and posted :)