God In The Movies, Part 2
AUGUST 7, 2020
By Rosella Shishido, Communications Coordinator
A few months back I wrote a devotional entitled God in the Movies, which was about how the Lord is everywhere and how He speaks into situations in our lives through various means, including the movies! I chose the 2014 movie Interstellar for that devotional. But for today, I’ve chosen the 2019 adventure-comedy movie Jumanji: the Next Level.
Have you watched it? If not yet and you’re planning to see it, please stop reading this right now! Cease! Direct your eyes somewhere else because lots of spoilers here! Consider yourself warned! :)
The gist of Jumanji: The Next Level: It’s been three years since the adventure of four friends who found themselves mysteriously sucked into a dangerous video game called Jumanji. In order to get out of it, they had to assume the roles of the game characters, do their best to survive, defeat the bad guys, and win the game, which they did and so they got out. Now three years later, the four friends planned a reunion over brunch, but only three of them showed up. When the three friends tried looking for their no-show friend, they realized he had gone back to Jumanji. And although they were reluctant, they followed him anyway because they knew he wouldn’t be able to get out of the dangerous game on his own.
Here are 5 points from the movie that reminded me of God and our relationship with Him:
1) We all have roles to play.
The Jumanji game has four key characters: archaeologist Dr. Smolder Bravestone, zoologist Moose Finbar, martial arts expert Ruby Roundhouse, and cartographer Professor Shelly Oberon. They were put together in the game because of their expertise and individual strengths that could help them win the game if they leaned on those strengths and worked together as a team.
Likewise, the Lord created us to be part of His family. Romans 12:4-8 and Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us that God has blessed us individually with skills and spiritual gifts that, when used correctly, humbly, and collectively, would benefit the church and extend the reach of God’s love and ministry to a hurting world. What about you? What are your spiritual gifts? How are you developing them and using them to help others and point them to the Lord?
2) No matter how gifted we are, we still have weaknesses.
An interesting feature of the game in the movie is that when characters tap the left side of their chest, a holographic display pops up that lists their strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Professor Shelly Oberon (played by Jack Black) has “cartography, archaeology, paleontology, and geometry” as strengths, while “endurance, sun, sand, and heat” are his weaknesses. Moose Finbar (played by Kevin Hart) has zoology, weapons, and linguistics” as his strengths, while “cake, speed, and strength” are his weaknesses.
Likewise, we have our own strengths and weaknesses, most of which we may have already discovered. Knowing where we are gifted will help us develop those gifts further and play to those strengths. Look at it as good stewardship of our giftings.
Acknowledging our weaknesses is helpful too so we don’t set unrealistic expectations for ourselves. We also learn to work with and depend on others who are more gifted in those areas.
3) There is strength in numbers.
Jumanji is a dangerous place, and that’s why each game character is given three lives—three chances to start over. Individually, their chances of survival is low. But collectively, they have a higher chance of finishing the game and even winning it.
We are stronger and better together. “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
4) It’s not worth it to hold a grudge.
Two of the new characters in the movie are Eddie (played by Danny DeVito) and Milo (played by Danny Glover), who were once best friends. They owned a restaurant together called Milo and Eddie’s, but eventually Milo decided he was too old to be working and so he chose to retire and sold the restaurant. This displeased Eddie so much that he refused to forgive or talk to Milo even after many years had passed.
Studies have shown that unforgiveness can negatively affect one’s physical and mental health. The Bible speaks against it too: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13)
5) Getting old is a gift.
The early part of Jumanji: The Next Level has Grandpa Eddie complaining how “getting old sucks,” particularly because he was recovering from hip surgery and couldn’t walk very well. But after his time in Jumanji (yes, he got sucked into the game too), he came out with a new outlook toward life, which enabled him to say toward the end of the movie, “Getting old is a gift. I forget that sometimes.”
Our life is a gift from God. The older we get, the more experienced and the wiser we become. There is also the opportunity to help and mentor people younger than we are. Proverbs 20:29 says, “The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.”
Next time you watch a movie, try looking for themes or ideas through which God may be saying something to you. Remember that God is everywhere.
Even in the movies.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, please help us to always be mindful of Your presence and how You are speaking to us. We ask for sensitivity to Your voice, for discernment, and for wisdom on how to practically apply to our lives what we hear from You. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
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