Confessions of a Movie Lover...

There a few things I enjoy more on those "I just want to be lazy" nights than popping in a good movie. Especially one that has been talked about so much, but I've still never seen. So, as I sat down to watch "Taken" a few weeks ago, I was expecting to thoroughly enjoy it. All my friends that had seen it loved it. Well, I'm shamed to admit that it took me almost three years to see it. Because it was amazing! There are two reasons I loved it.

First, it showed just how far father's are willing to go for their daughters. You don't mess with daddy's baby girl. They are not above taking down an entire sex trafficking organization if you piss them off. You will die. Future husband, take note of what you're up against.

Second, because of the blatant spiritual analogy that I didn't expect to receive. There's a scene towards the end of the movie where the main character (played by Liam Neeson ♥) witnesses his daughter being bid upon. She's all drugged up so she has no idea who he is. I absolutely love this scene, did I mention that? Anyway, he aims a gun at a mans skull and yells "Buy her." The man hits the button and proceeds to do this two or three times, each time increasing the bid. Eventually though, he hesitates when the price starts to get too high, and its at this point that Liam himself reaches over and hits the button, saving her. By doing that simple act, he buys her for $500,000- five times what the last girl sold for, but it'd never be too high a price. She's his, saved from being a slave.

The spiritual lesson didn't hit me until after the movie was over. And then I realized, we're the drugged up daughters. Sometimes in our lives we get so messed up we don't even recognize our heavenly father anymore. But He still loves us anyway. Because we are still His children. And Satan and sin are the other bidders, only this bid is for a lot more than our bodies- it's for our soul. And sometimes, sin drives a pretty hard bargain. The battle of our sinful nature and our saved nature continues- we struggle with temptation and righteousness. Those figures start to sound pretty good. But it's at the very last minute where Christ Himself willingly steps in, slams the buzzer down breaking it, and says, "I've already bought her. It's not too high a price for me. I love her" And he saves us from being slaves- slaves to sin. You see my friends, this bidding room is the cross. It was at the cross where Christ finally said "It is finished." (John 19:30) I've taken all her sin and shame on myself. She's bought. I have redeemed her. She's mine. Signed, sealed, delivered, stamped. Bought at the ultimate price- my life. And the auctioneer slams the gavel down, "Sold. Paid in full..."

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." -1 Peter 1:18-19.