Shows with a decidedly spiritual aspect have never really
seen the prime time spot of a major network before. And it is of particular interest that ABC
also has prime time dramas that deal with all manner of family issues, personal
issues, morality issues, and even a few offerings depicting the struggles of
living an openly “gay” lifestyle. The
gay thing, and the Christian thing, would appear to have quite different
demographics when looking for an audience, so is this ABS trying to offer
something for everyone, or is it perhaps even more profound?
What interests me the most about the show Eli Stone is the
writing. Oh sure the character is
fictional, but the study of the life of a prophet seems dead-on. The visions he begins to have, are NOT clear
cut. They make little logical
sense. They rely on imagery, or musical
themes, not clear mandates. And his
embracing them costs him personally. He
loses his reputation, even has his sanity questioned. Those closest to him reject this new
phenomenon, it takes a stranger to help him further understand it. The messages go against prevailing
logic. Think about that one for a
moment. The messages go against
prevailing logic.
It would be easier to ignore them. It would be far better for him personally to
ignore them. It will not only cost him
most everything he values to pursue them, his only return will be helping those
in need. Only a handful are going to be
positively affected by him pursuing his visions. The money lost to his firm and himself because
of them is staggering.
The Bible is full of biographies of prophets the Lord called
to His service. Most every story looks
just like Eli Stone. But TV being what
it is; it has the power to put you into the story of the protagonist. You see the subtlety you might otherwise miss
when reading the scriptures. You see the
personal struggle the prophet must deal with.
You see the rejection, and realize it is not just from those he may be
trying to help, but from those who are supposed to love him the most. You begin to see the greater good has a cost,
and is not free of charge for us. When
we do what is right, we sometimes pay that cost in things of value to
ourselves.
Another interesting dimension to Eli Stone is his
imperfection. He is not perfect. Is not a man of faith or religion per
se. He had no ambitions to save the
world. He had an otherwise fatal
aneurism condition from which a side effect was hallucinations. His medical condition could easily explain
his phenomenon. There is a logical
alternative to messages from God. So why
believe? He did want this calling, took
a while to come to grips with it, and knows he would be happier without
it. But he has finally accepted it. Sounds like Jonah, Joseph, Moses, Daniel, you
name the Biblical patriarch, are they not all the same.
Eli Stone is not real.
It is a show on ABC. It is
designed to sell soap, cars, food, and whatever else an advertiser is willing
to pay for. But the subtlety of the
message is real none the less. Doing
good, is not a natural act. Very often,
doing the right thing, is the same as doing the hard thing. The easy way, is seldom the right way. But the right way, is always the better
way. No matter what the pain level of
doing the right thing in the short term, over the long term it is always less
painful to do good. This truth is one
that evil would hide from our eyes. This
truth we are meant to be distracted away from.
We are told to rationalize our values, to be expedient, to compromise
principle, and be “realistic” about our expectations. All the vain words of evil, to prevent us from
the blessing of good.
Eli Stone is not real.
But is the calling he receives any less real than it was in the days of
Moses, or Joseph, or Jonah, or Christ?
Our God desires to communicate with us much more fully that we
understand. He wants to speak directly
to our hearts, our minds, and our ears.
He wants to be clearly understood, as so much of the work of evil is
bent on distorting His messages, and perverting His truths. This week I heard a news story on CNN about a
group of churches/preachers who are actually teaching that if Barak Obama is
elected, it will herald the apocalypse.
They are using hate, and fear, in the name of our God, to justify a
teaching that is completely based on lies, bias, and ignorance. They teach the greatest of lies, as they
teach them in the name of the God of truth, when no truth comes from their
lips. God would have us hear His words,
not the words of hate mongers.
So why do we hear from God so little? Why does it become a rare thing to see or
hear about an Eli Stone? Because in our
quest for survival and success, we focus ourselves only on things that
facilitate our goals – not on things that lie directly in front of our
eyes. Our prayers are one-way requests,
with no time left for a response. We
come to expect God to answer us in actions, not in words. But even then our eyesight sometimes fails to
interpret His answers in His actions.
The ancient Israelites had stones, one for yes, one for no;
that glowed upon asking for God’s guidance.
Wish I knew where we put them. It
sure would be nice to be able to get clear guidance just by looking at the glow
in a rock, rather than have to take deliberate time out to listen. My vision is bad. So is my hearing. Apparently so is my patience. I long for glowing rocks and clear direction,
instead of delays that forge trust, and maintain dependence. I wish I knew the clear cut will of God,
rather than like Eli, have to show faith and act without evidence, move without
reassurance, take action knowing there will be personal consequences. But it is not ease that will build my faith, it
is uncertainty. Not knowing, is the
furnace in which I will be tested.
Moving ahead in spite of the prevailing logic, will result in assurance,
not be preceded by it.
Not everything on television is filth. Not everything is bad news. Nothing is complete truth. But I applaud ABC for taking a bold risk in
offering a show with redemptive themes, and spiritual insight. I applaud the writers of Eli Stone for giving
such an insight into the life, calling, and trials (pardon the pun) of a
prophet. I hope the show is able to
continue the good work it has started. I
hope its themes of good over evil, standing in the face of adversity, learning
humility despite great ability, and overcoming doubt can continue. I am pleased at the progress of the storyline
and so far would gladly recommend it as regular fare for live viewing, the DVR,
or over the Internet – whichever is your preference. It’s nice to find some clarity amidst all the
distractions …
No comments:
Post a Comment