Fiction Is Rosier

               Smallville.  My absolute favorite TV show.  A ten season, Sci-fi smash hit chronicling the early years of Clark Kent.  Before he was Superman. 
               The majority of the first 4 seasons took place in the halls of Smallville High.   And when I say halls, I mean halls.  It seems that the Smallville High student body spent a large part of their collective day between classes.  Our favorite characters were blessed with many school dances, sports events and the occasional field trip.  But even though we hear talk of tests, tutoring and study sessions, we only see our stars in class if a hugely plot-essential incident is about to happen or if the teacher will soon be revealed as the villain.  So, at a glance, it seems that our beloved characters live lives of juicy social interactions and exciting action sequences while wearing backpacks. 
               It makes perfect sense that our favorite fictions cut out the boring stuff.  I wouldn't have watched the show if it began with Clark listening to a twenty minute history lecture, followed by a trip to his locker, then standing in the lunch line and concluded with him bent over an important math test.  That's not entertainment.  That's life.
               Sometimes I think my life is less than it should be.  That I'm not interesting enough, that I'm not ambitious enough or that there's some wonderful, exciting thing out there that I should be doing.  But the reality is always rosier on the other side of the screen.  So when you find that life doesn't measure up to fiction, don't adjust your TV set, adjust your mindset.  Enjoy fiction as fiction and enjoy life as life.
               And if you have Jesus as your Savior, you have the best reality a person can have.  A reality of hope and purpose.
               "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5

Outtakes

     Outtakes.  Bloopers.  The gag reel.  It's the first thing I look for when I click the special features button on the DVD menu.  Who doesn't love outtakes?  They're hilarious.  You get to watch the cast and crew get the giggles, scramble their lines and play tricks on each other. 
     Outtakes are moments that interrupt filming.  They weren't in the script so they don't end up in the film.  Someone drops something, says the wrong thing, loses their train of thought, trips on the carpet…
    Speaking of tripping on the carpet, have you done that lately?  Have you dropped your keys?  Gotten tongue-tied?  How did you react?  Did you get angry and say, "Really?!"
     I have days when it seems like everything is going wrong.  As the day wears on, I let myself lose all patience and the tiniest mishaps seem enormously discouraging or unfair.  This is no way to live. 
     God's Word tells us in Philippians 2:14 "Do all things without complaining and disputing,"
     So stop whining!  Your life isn't based on a script.  It will never be perfect. 
     The movies edit out their bloopers, making the characters seem gorgeous, articulate and highly coordinated but you can't make your bloopers dissappear.  They're just a natural part of life.  Don't let them get you down.  Dropping your keys isn't the end of the world!  It's a blooper...and it's going to make the final cut- whether you like it or not.

Song Recommendation:  "This Is The Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli

Relief

     The part I treasure most in any high intensity action scene is the big moment of relief.  My eyes sparkle with excitement while the heroes gasp and laugh and cry as they look at the cliff's edge, exploded building, smoking crater, unconscious murderer or other huge source of peril that they have just survived.  They're okay, it's over, they're safe now.  "Let's go home."
     What could feel better than the moment you realize you're alive?
     I've never run out of a burning building or been reeled in from a crashing wave but I can imagine the overwhelming sense of well being and relief that must come when the worst doesn't happen.  The rush when, after thinking all was lost, the thing you hoped for the most appears before your eyes - rescue!
     I got the idea for an article about relief one morning when I was a sad, cranky mess.  I irrationally hated and questioned everything!  I knew that I shouldn't feel this way but it felt like there was nothing I could do to make myself feel better.  I struggle with this problem sometimes.  Contentment.  How do you get it?
     I tried to think about the things I should be grateful for.  And then I thought about how I've been... rescued.   I've been rescued from the worst and most terrifying thing anyone can face: separation from God.  I've been freed from Hell I'm bound for Heaven.  I'm friends with God.  Right now, this very instant!
     "For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT)
     "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."  1 John 4:10 (NIV)
     And then I thought about that moment of pure happiness when someone is rescued.  The laughter, tears and hugs.  I've seen it many times portrayed by actors or in real-life incidents caught on film.  When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I was rescued from far worse than anything this world could ever dish out.  So my joy should be far more enthusiastic!
     God has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)!  So I'm going to keep that picture of salvation fresh in my mind.  I'm going to replace my cloudy moods with the laughter of pure relief!
     When I accepted Christ's rescue, I was reborn into God's family and I started my new life with Him.  What could feel better than the moment you realize you're alive?

"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light."     Colossians 1:11-12 (NLT)