Tuesday, March 9, 2010 | By: Jenna

Impossible Things and Vorpal Swords

Have you ever thought, "This is so ironic"... or wondered if somebody somewhere somehow knew you were needing to hear the thing you heard or watch the thing you watched or read the thing you read right when you heard, watched, or read it? Have you ever felt like somebody somewhere sees you? I have. More times than I can count. To be quite honest, it's beginning to be a regular occurrence... Also to be quite honest, I'm beginning to think that that somebody somewhere is in fact God, and that He enjoys getting my attention this way. Which is encouraging, because it's something I've realized I can't ignore... and I like to think that I can't ignore God.

What I couldn't ignore tonight... was brilliant. Incredibly brilliant. So brilliant that I might poke a hole in my "delete" key trying to get the words right for this. It was colorful, and it was devastatingly loud (to me, anyway... the person who lives my life and could recognize the analogues in the context of my life). It was a match after a parallel after a saying... and they just kept coming as I sat there taking all of them in - my mind imploding as I tried not to cry while these things confirmed and put pictures to what God has been (already) so loudly shouting at me for months... It was all very genius of Him really. God is a genius. And tonight, He spoke to me through Alice in Underland
.

I shouldn't have been as shocked I was. Partly because, like you're thinking right now, "It's just a movie. You can find meaning in any movie"... but mostly because, I was afraid of this movie. I've been afraid of it for months. My little sister went and saw it with her friend, and I thought, "I'm afraid of that movie. It looks weird. I don't want to see it." I thought it would be exactly like the cartoon, and I never liked the cartoon - the cartoon scared me. I never watch it anymore.

Well so the story of how I ended up watching this movie goes like this: Tonight, Aubrey picks this movie, Alice in Wonderland, and since I want to try "being brave" on for size, I just go with it. Aubrey doesn't even realize it's 3D, but I do, which scares me more (and ends up being scary for her once she also finds out it's 3D... really funny), but again, I just go with it. Garrett comes too, and we all share popcorn. The movie starts, and I yell, "I'm afraid of this movie!" (I don't normal-yell, of course - the movie has started - I whisper-yell.) After about 30 minutes into it, our suspicions are confirmed that this is not the normal Alice in Wonderland's story... this is Alice in Underland's story, and this one is different. This one is about finding out who you are meant to be, and becoming that who... This one is about believing impossible things, and facing a monster you never thought you could slay. This one is about being brave. And even if the whole time people are guiding you, supporting you, telling you about your destiny and who you used to be before you forgot about your destiny, the choice in the end is still yours... only yours... and YOU must decide to face the monster... because once you decide to grab your weapon, you will need to wield it.

But don't worry too much, "insignificant bearer," the Vorpal Sword knows what to do... you just have to hang on... and believe the impossible...


There were a lot of other things (pictures, words, story lines) that stuck out, but if you aren't me, you probably won't understand God talking to me in them. In light of that, I am
glad I am me tonight.
For those of you who aren't me... bummer, it's quite the ride.

Well, go see the movie and have fun! God might call you into a dream of special effects... or wake you up to a reality of your own that you need to face...

Either way, it's worth the 8 bucks and recyclable plastic (if you see it in 3D)!

Gosh, and I was afraid of this movie.... I would have missed some serious muchness...

5 comments:

Aubrey Raper said...

i can't even tell you how much i love this. ugh. it is so good....

i am so very proud of you jenna barney. i know you're afraid. i know this is very, very hard. i know that God is doing amazing things right now, and that he is sitting on the edge of his throne, waiting to see you grow into everything he has ever meant for you to be. everything he created you to be.

if he is giving you joy even now....i can't wait to see....ughhh...i just can't wait. :)

"ortizins" :)

Nikole Patricia said...

I love you.
That's it really. Jenna, you.... oh man Jenna, I have no words that can even begin to do justice...
Love you. I'll leave it at that.

Chris Lowry said...

Jenna sweetie,
I ditto everything Aubrey said...yeah...cuz you didn't get your amazing writing ability from me...
One thing I DO KNOW and will write... Jenna Barney,(my beloved, amazingly gifted, beautiful, and precious daughter),"CAN DO ALL THINGS,(even slay the jabber- wocky), through Christ Who strengthens her!"
God loves doing the impossible and you possess His vorpal sword. Be brave and do it afraid. He's right there holding you, doing it for you, and never will He leave you, not EVER. Ever since you were little you've loved swords. It's time to use it.
I love you beyond any words or thoughts honey... And how MUCH more He loves you...SO MUCH of His "MUCHNESS" in you! Slay that jabber-wocky!

Matthew said...

I saw it last night for the second time. I enjoyed the action and the strangeness. Me, I actually liked the cartoon, but then again I always liked strange movies. As for my own heart, I took it a different way, and it began to strike me harder the second time as well. I won't ruin your own beautiful encouragement with what played on my heart though.

Gledwood said...

God moves in mysterious ways...