Playing God

 I spent the first day of the 2 week school holiday break munching pop-corn, sipping coke and gawking at a handsome blue-eyed Captain Kirk and equally (tho different) handsome villain Khan flying thru space managing the impossible feat of shooting thru a small little door which so happened to open at precisely the right second on the dot for them to land on target. But hey, this is Star Trek the movie and anything can happen in a movie. Quite apart from the action scenes, the conversation flow was most engaging, with some excellent and comical exchanges between the characters, especially from the pointy- eared Vulcan Spock with his typical dead-pan expression. I especially liked the 'human' angle of presenting moral choices which gave meaning and depth to what would have been just another forgettable movie.

The hero was no knight in shining armor. In the words of his mentor, he was a pain, acting as if rules didnt apply to him, literally 'playing God' in his cockiness and brashy attitude. The rebuke was sharp - 'There's greatness in you but not an ounce of humility. You think that you can't make mistakes, but there's going to be a moment when you realize you are wrong about that ..' That's what many people, especially the 'smart' ones (of which I used to count myself as one) tend to do. I thought I knew everything (well, at least what's good for me) , I decided how I wanted to live my life since it is my inalienable right as an independent human being. Who needs God when I can do everything much better myself, my way? Besides who knows whether God really exists or not, and after all one god is the same as any other, so might as well I be my own god. I am forever grateful (and amazed) God didn't just zap me to dust and ashes for my prideful heart. So I can relate very well to Capt K's feelings when after being stripped of his command for endangering the lives of himself and others, the old man seeks out the young 'peacock' who is drowning his sorrow at the bar and tells him 'The truth - I believe in you. If anybody deserves a second chance, it's Jim Kirk. "

I can substitute my name in there, as God whispered about the same thing in my ear some 12 years ago. The proud will not find God, they aren't even interested in the first place. The wonder of it is God actually gives us - all of us - a second, third, fourth, umpteenth chance, even in the face of man rejecting Him. That's undeserved grace, unlimited mercy, unfathomable love. But in spite of all that, we can be so 'unfeeling' , like Spock, who by his very nature can only understand logic and embrace technicalities. Yet even Spock knew there was something beyond logic when his hand touched Kirk's hand through the glass that separated them as the latter lay dying of a radiation overdose sustained in a sacrificial last-ditch effort to save his crew from certain death. That 'something' was love.

As they exchanged what to me were the most poignant lines in the movie 'I want you to know why I couldn't let you die , why I went back for you...because you are my friend', my eyes teared. I remember that's exactly what Jesus did and why He did it. When He chose to die on the cross, He was doing it for me out of love, even though He knew very well I was just another sinner in the eyes of a holy God. To this day, I stand wondering how can it be that the Almighty God would care to be my friend, to the extent that He would let His Son die for me? Jesus said to His disciples just before His death, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.... I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends.." (John 15:13,15). And miracle of miracles, out of that 1 death , emerged eternal life for all who choose to take His offered hand of friendship.

 At one point in the movie, someone remarked, "It's a miracle" and Spock countered, "But there's no such thing." Likewise it's so easy and simple to write off everything we can't understand or explain by logic or intellect as not possible. It's such a pity how many have lost the wonder and awesomeness of a God who can do and still does the impossible. I will never be able to understand the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, even if I were to witness it. Matter of fact, many folks back then who saw it didn't believe it anyway. That's the expected normal human reaction as the Bible records, "they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (Luke 16:31)
 

Certainly everything about God and His plan for mankind's redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ defies all logic. But God Himself can't be reduced to logic in the first place.So it all boils down to 1 simple thing - your choice to believe or not. C.S.Lewis, the atheist who after a lifetime 'researching' God, put it succintly, "I gave in, and admitted God was God." Clarice Fluitt was more blunt, "God is not who you think He is; He is who He says He is."
Perhaps the classic line that should make us think a little bit harder about life comes from the villain Khan, "You think you're safe. You are not." Safe without God, really ?? Think again, and again. As if to emphasize the point, he repeats it, "You think your world is safe? It is an illusion..." Tragically many would rather treat God as the illusion, instead of THE solution.


"For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son".....Romans 5:10