May THE FORCE Be With You

Day 356 of Photo Inspirations -- May THE FORCE Be With You
I no sooner arrived in Texas to begin the Christmas festivities with my family here, than I heard "We're going to see Star Wars tonight!"  I loved it.  Going together to a movie at Christmas is a traditional "must do" activity for us.  Yesterday morning, in my "FB Memories From this Day in Years Before', I laughed as I saw my 2014 post where we went to see a movie that was quite the opposite from this year's.  It was "Annie".  Note the unhappy face on Payton in this first photo inspiration from last year.  It was certainly not the same exuberant face he had watching Star Wars.

Star Wars was a winner for all of us.  I laughed when the most iconic movie opening in movie history came on:  the Star Wars opening crawl.  Every Star Wars movie starts the same way with "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away....." and so it was with this new Star Wars: "The Force Awakens".

Everyone in the theater was clapping and cheering.  It was like a long lost friend had come home.  LOL!  I think all of the Star Wars movie fans had lots of bottled up energy in them since they had to wait a whole 33 years since Episode VI.  

True to form as in previous episodes, Star Wars is still about "good versus evil".  This Episode 7: The Force Awakens may be my all time favorite. There were some epic, inspiring messages once again, and like any good thriller action movie, the ever present theme throughout Star Wars is the presence of a good force and an evil force.  The LIGHT side and the DARK side.  Right versus wrong. There’s talk of "the Light" guiding various characters, and one evil-loving character (I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen the movie yet) says "I feel it again. The call of the Light.”

And in reality, on a daily basis, we have those calls, too.  Figuring out what to do in tricky situations where we have a clear choice between doing the right thing and doing the wrong thing; following the LIGHT or the DARK.

The further, and the longer, I travel on my personal faith journey, the clearer the two are to me. When the LIGHT guides me and I follow His direction, my life is filled with joy, peace, and freedom from worry, anxiety, sadness and fear.  Psalm 23:3-4 "He leads me in the paths of righteousness.  For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."   That's my lightsaber -- His rod and staff -- His Word.  In Star Wars, the lightsaber can cut through metal, deflect blaster shots, bring light to dark places and annihilate human beings and very strange creatures. When armed with a lightsaber, the user of  it becomes a formidable foe.  Our lightsaber, God's Word (scripture), is our weapon.  In Ephesians 6, believers are called to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” in order to do battle with the enemy. While a lightsaber may be the hallmark of a true Jedi Knight, the Bible is the tool of a true Christian. When we keep it close at hand, we can be a force for good.

The closer we are to the LIGHT, the stronger we are in fending off the enemy of our souls.  That is the obvious "good conquering evil" theme in the movie.  And isn't that true in our lives as Christians?  The closer we are to God and His Word, the stronger we become in our faith and conquering in every area of life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest Star Wars episode.  And I take its famous quote and repeat it to you "The Force Be With You"....rather,  "May God's peace that passes understanding be with you; may His LIGHT guide you"

"Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world.....and whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness"  John 8:12.  

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. THE LORD BE WITH YOU."  2 Thessalonians 3:16

May the FORCE of God's mighty power be WITH YOU!