His story is better!

One of my new favorite TV shows is “Eli Stone.” You can watch it on ABC Tuesday nights, or you can DVR it like I do and watch it later because I hate commercials and our small group meets on Tuesdays. If you’ve never seen “Eli Stone,” here is a quick summary of the first season: Eli is a lawyer rising up the ladder and is engaged to the boss’s daughter. He’s destined to become a partner and probably make tons of money representing less than respectable people. But then he begins having visions and those visions help him to see the world differently. He starts helping the people he has visions about and his life changes. Season One ends with him having his brain aneurism removed, oh I forgot to tell you about that but everyone is blaming his new crazy actions on the aneurism. Season Two begins with a healthy Eli, the aneurism is gone, trying to return to his old life. He is meeting with a therapist and she later reveals she is actually a messenger from God. Her message is simple—Eli’s life is meant for something more. He needs the divine in his life. The ability to help people was given to him but could be given to someone else. If he wants it back then he has to take the aneurism back as well. He does, of course, and things get back to “normal” for him.

Please hear this, you will not get a theology lesson from watching this show. But it’s thought-provoking and entertaining. You can watch episodes for free on abc.com so get to it. The title for this episode is “The Path.”

I mention all of this because I found the scene between Eli and his therapist (Sigourney Weaver) intriguing and challenging. It reminded me that we are all in a similar boat. God’s story is going on all around us. Some of it is done using conventional methods and some of it only He understands. The beauty is that He allows us to be a part of it. God allows us, His children, to be as active on His journey as we want. We have full access and yet so often take it for granted, dismiss it, or choose something “better.” Eli thought returning to “normal” would be better for him. The aneurism would be gone and life would be good again. He quickly realized that his old life was not “better” in fact it was dreadful. Once you experience the divine, ordinary won’t satisfy. Once you experience the eternal, temporary fixes won’t do. Eli learned this and made the choice to live dangerously but be part of something bigger. His life mattered and he made differences in people’s lives. The good news is we have that same opportunity, and ours is real.

I love Romans 10:14-15. How blessed are we that we get to take the gospel to the world? God allows us to take His light and His love into a world of darkness and despair. We have the chance to impact people’s lives not only for eternity, but also for tomorrow. Sometimes people need hope and love today, and we get to play a role in that. Examine your life this week and ask yourself what role you’re playing. Do you have the divine presence in your life? Are you joining the story of redemption playing out all around you? Ask God for a part, and be ready and willing to accept what He offers. Use what He gives you to change the world around you. Guess what, that’s why He gave it to you.