If you have a spare $8.00 a month, it is very likely, in this day and age, to spend it on the online plethora of all films and TV shows ever in existence: Netflix. As one of the many college students who find refuge and an escape through the film-saturated center, it is very easy for me to get lost in a film or show that Netflix suggests for me; it’s almost like it knows me as a person.
But God knows me better than myself, and it is by the grace of God that I know I can find all refuge, comfort and sanity through His son, Jesus Christ. It is in Him I find true joy, even though I may not always directly find it in Him as I should.
Netflix is a downfall for many, whether they realize it or not. We always have that bad day every once in a while, and it almost seems like it is impossible to recover from it.
So, what do we do? We try to escape from all forms of reality, and get lost in a film or show that seems to be doing life right. And while you are lost in the plot line of another person’s life in that film or show, the Netflix “paramedics” stops the streaming, giving you three options: You can relive the plot from the beginning, continue playing or go back “home.” I joke with friends that the reason Netflix does that is to make sure we are alive since there was no activity for a long period of time.
But in all seriousness, are we alive? In today’s society and culture, we have found ourselves hungering and thirsting for gods that do not deserve to reign over the human heart, because they did not design the human heart. This has been a timeless struggle, as far as the time of Moses before he was about to reveal the guidelines as the people of God should place themselves under.
In Exodus 32, as Moses was descending Mount Sinai, the people were waiting in anticipation as to what he has to say, for he was their leader. It felt like ages to them as he was bringing down the tablets etched by the very fingers of God. The people could not wait any longer for God’s word that they needed to find a fix for their hungry souls, and fast. The insecurity within their souls were revealed for the want of a tangible object as their god, ironically a god that was made of gold and something they could control and comprehend.
God cannot be comprehended, and that’s why I believe that is why people are fearful or in denial of His existence. Because He does not fit into our psyche, and His workings cannot always be understood. Creating gods or even making ourselves “God” has become the norm; that we have complete control over every precise detail of our lives. But in doing so, we have put complete faith in gods that cannot respond to the cries from our souls. They cannot satisfy, comfort or love us; those gods symbolize the emptiness within us, without Christ.
There are many gods that have claimed territory on today’s earthly playground. And the most disturbing thing of all is that even the good things in our lives such as food, entertainment, romance, money and even family can become the fixation of a god, in place of the one true God.
“Gods at War” by Kyle Idleman put it into perspective for me personally of what my personal gods were. One of them included the god of entertainment.
I have an undeniable passion, as you will see in future posts, for filmmaking and the anatomy of the camera. I am that person that when you watch a movie with me and I will be like, “Oh! Nice, beautiful shot! What a smooth pan!” Netflix has so many films and shows to choose from, it’s hard to stop the streaming if it automatically transitions you to the next episode or film.
But God’s purpose for humanity does not only include streaming on Netflix, but much more. He wants us to dip into the stream of life, which is Christ Himself; the Living Water.
So, the next time the Netflix “paramedics” check in on you and ask to continue playing, what will you do? Continue playing, or take a break and spend time with the Creator of all things?