Some may say the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or the Harry Potter series. Or what about "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or even "Up." All would be wonderful examples of great movies based on their thematic overtones and visual effects.
But I'm not too sure if I would dub any of these the greatest film of the generation. There's only one movie that can hold this title and that movie is "Galaxy Quest."
The plot revolves around the main character Jason Nesmith, played by Tim Allen, who is an ex-actor of a sci-fi show called "Galaxy Quest." He, along with the rest of his crew from the fictional show, are asked by an alien race to help save them from destruction of a rivaling enemy race. You know, the usual plot turns occur in the midst of some struggle and laughs here and there, all the while the good guys win in the end.
You may be asking your self, "Is this girl absolutely off her rocker?" The answer is yes, but let me explain why.
One of the greatest lines in the movie occurs when the show's cast is in space trying to solve the problem of the broken beryllium sphere that gives power to the whole ship. Gwen, played by Sigourney Weaver, was hired to be the beauty in the show of all men and her job is to make sure that communication is up and running. So while they are deliberating about what to do about this power source, she's repeating everything the computer says despite everyone's ability to hear it and communicate back to it on their own. One of the crew members yells, "You know, that's really getting annoying!" And Gwen replied, "I have ONE job on this lousy ship. It's stupid, but I'm gonna do it, okay?"
I was on the volleyball team while at Wheaton and last year's season was a tough one for me. As a senior, I expected to play and to play well, to lead and to lead well, to do all of things that I had aspired to do throughout my years there. But that was not the case. I ended up on the bench the majority of the season. The players on the bench are responsible for keeping stats and that's exactly what I did - me and that clipboard became really close. So when someone would try and take it from me in a gesture of kindness, all I was thinking in my head was, "I have ONE job on this lousy team. It's stupid, but I'm gonna do it, okay?" Probably not the best response to a 10 year journey with volleyball, or with grace, but it was all that I had to hold on to at the moment and although I despised every minute of holding that stupid clipboard, it was the only role I could fill well. So I did it. And "Galaxy Quest" gave me a humorous way to look at it, which was exactly what I needed.
Another amazing line spoken by the Jason Nesmith, the Captain of the show, says this, "Never give up, never surrender." Jason's character is disliked among the majority of the other characters based on his selfishness and inability to take things seriously. So when he says this they all roll their eyes and grumble knowing that he's a fraud. But this changes when the leader of the alien race is being tortured but speaks these words in full assurance that they will help him survive.
A few weeks ago, a few of the girls from Tenwek wanted to take a trip to Naivasha and Nakuru to get away for a few days of rest and relaxation. Turns out rest and relaxation looks a lot like biking through a national park, Hell's Gate, with zebras, warthogs and giraffes running along side of the road with you. You might be saying, "Wow! Amazing!" But hold the phone, have you ever tried to bike on a dirt path for an hour and a half on a bike that was probably made 20 years ago with no gears and a seat that made your back side scream? I didn't think so.
Okay, okay.. so I may be delusional when it comes to choosing high quality films, but you have to agree that the quotable lines from this movie are pretty applicable. And how often do we feel like that? Feeling like we have one job, it's hard, it's verging on ridiculous, but it's what we have to do. Or feeling like all we can do trust and believe that it'll be okay, never giving up and never surrendering to the challenging circumstances set before us.
I'm reading through Oswald Chambers' My Upmost for His Highest and from today's devotion is reads, "If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all, they are meant to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what transpires in others souls that you will never be surprised at what you come across." This observation is based on 1 Peter 4:13, "But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed."
Suffering can look different to everyone, and the enemy proves that to be true, but when we are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, in the will of God (v. 19), than rejoicing and doing good should be the fruits of that pain. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit infuse those who believe with outstanding grace and absolute forgiveness that when we suffer according to His will, we are experiencing God and being taught how to become more Christ-like. It's not easy, I don't think it's meant to be, because we are to trust and obey that what He puts in our path is to encourage us to soak deeper into His love.
I know the example of "Galaxy Quest" was a stretch, and surely you must know that I'm kidding about the greatest film of all time thing (sort of), but in these small and almost insignificant circumstances I was challenged to view them in light of 1 Peter 4. On the volleyball team, I found hope in the girls. They encouraged and pushed me to be the best woman of God I could be, not the best volleyball player. And on this outing to Hell's Gate, the natural scenery was enough to make all of us stop in awe of the creation that He has made for us to admire and worship Him through. God is good, all the time.
Lastly, shout-out to my family. You guys might be only ones who think this post is funny in the slightest. Miss and love you.
|| Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good - 1 Peter 4:19 ||
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