Staff Writer – Carol Cato
I have been fasting lately; in fact I am on 21 day fast and pray with my church, pursuing Yahweh to hear from Him; to understand who He is and what He wants from me. On the 6 day of my fast I went to see the movie ‘After Earth’ starring Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith. In the movie, Will Smith played Cypher Raige and his son was Kitai Raige. I felt that the movie spoke so much to me that I had to write this blog.
There was a scene where Cypher was injured so he had to send his son out to retrieve a beacon in the forest which would summon help. This was the first time his son was on a mission with him, I believe his wife wanted them to bond. However, this mission turned out to be very dangerous.
During the conversation that Cypher had with his son Kitai before he left, he told him about the path that he needed to stay on, that there was an alien that was out there, but what really got me was when he started talking about Fear.
I felt that his interpretation of fear was spot on. We all have fears, some more profound than others, but they can take over our minds and cause us to be stressed to the point of wanting to die or too scared to go outside.
Fear takes on many disguises but the reality is that fear is not real. I should know because I suffered from panic attacks for at least 20 years. Most of the time I thought I was about to die, I would rush to the hospital in a panic, until the doctors said I was OK. In my mind it felt very real. It was real because I made it so. The mind is a powerful thing.
So, as Cypher spoke to his son it reminded me of what the Bible says about fear. In 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Even though I no longer have panic attacks, I still experience fear.
The previous day at church, the sermon had been about healing and having faith that we must believe that we are healed. The movie seemed like confirmation of the message in the sermon, God was telling me that I need to let go of the fears I still had, to have faith and believe. There is nothing to fear, my fears are my own thought creations; they don’t belong to anything or anyone else. As Cypher said, the only thing to be afraid of was danger, because danger can be real.
Scene from After Earth. Photo courtesy www.ign.com
Yahweh knows your beginning and your end; He has set out a path for you. Will Smith’s character in the film reminded me of Yahweh watching over his flock. Smith, told his son that he’ll be watching over him, that he could see things in front and behind him, he will guide him on what he needs to do to survive.
The Bible is our survival guide, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s will. The alien is like the devil waiting to strike at any moment, and if you don’t follow the rules and stay on the path you’ll encounter trouble.
You can attempt the shortcuts and adopt a ‘know best’ attitude, but sooner or later you will have to get back on the path that has been set before you. When Kitai had to face the alien/devil he remembered his father’s words.
In the Bible God does not say you will not meet trouble or not go through any storms, but if you remember his Word you can defeat anything that comes your way (defeating does not always mean winning).
Watching the son fight the alien reminded me of David and Goliath. David was also a small boy, but he had faith, he remembered what his father said and he knew that the father would be with him, even in spirit. Yahweh says in the Bible “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6. If you have time read the story of David and Goliath, 1 Samuel 17.
God has given us power to do anything, but we must believe and have faith that it is so. When Smith’s son laid injured on the ground after a fight with the alien he touched the blood from his wound and gained strength from remembering what his father said to him.
Again, knowing the Word helps us to conquer our fears. God said, “be still and know that I am God” ‘Psalms 46:10. I have given you all the power in 2 Timonthy1:17 , ‘But thank Yahweh who gives us the victory by our Lord Yeshua The Messiah‘. 1 Corinthians 15:57. Kitai was able to get back up and defeat the alien.
The movie also had a strong message about relationships that fathers should have with their sons; teaching them how to be men, to be a hunter or provider, a strong member of the family and their community.
It is a bond that every man should have with his son before the son comes of age. John 5:19 says “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise‘. So fathers be careful; your son may become a replica of you.
There wasn’t a very good write up about this movie, not even in Caribbean news media but as you can see Yahweh was talking to me that day as I continue to pursue him.
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