Choice

He floats through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young man on the… well, it isn’t a flying trapeze. I need a word for web that rhymes with ease…

Spiderman 2 is one of the major films to come out this year. It racked up several impressive records, and is well on its way toward being one of the best received films of all time. It is a film that has at its center big themes, good versus evil, love, responsibility and things like that.

The message of this film track along similar lines as the first, but is a little more complex. It really wrestles with a big issue.

In the first film, Peter Parker has to come to grips with being Spiderman, and having the power to do certain things. “With great power comes great responsibility” was the oft repeated central message. This theme is explored as Peter Parker has to learn to use his power to help people, not for revenge or pleasure.

In this film, he doesn’t want the power he has. It disrupts his life. He can’t show the woman he loves any affection, can’t do well in college, can’t keep a job. In the middle of the film he decides that it isn’t worth it to keep being Spiderman at night and Peter in the day. He throws out his costume and begins to enjoy the Peter Parker side of his life.

Through a series of events, Peter comes to realize that regardless of what he chooses, he is Spiderman, and as Spiderman he has a purpose. He only has a choice regarding how he will deal with that fact. He tries to be Peter, but others will not let him stay just Peter. Outside forces want to destroy not only those he loves, but they want to destroy the person he really is, Spiderman.

This, I think, relates directly to our lives. We have been given a great amount of power. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to you.” Jesus Christ has given us a command, a purpose to fulfill in life. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.”

Now we have a choice. We can take the power we have been given, and fulfill that purpose, and be who we are in Christ. Or we can suppress that power and try to live the same “safe” life we have been living. Do our job, keep our friends, try not to create enemies.

The interesting thing is, Jesus didn’t say, “Now that you follow me, if you want it, you have all the power…” He said it was given to us. We have that power whether we want it or not.

We are Christ followers. The choice isn’t whether we are or aren’t. The choice is whether we will acknowledge that fact and then use the power given to us, or not. The enemy we face knows who we are. He is going to attack us and our loved ones, trying to destroy us or keep us ineffective.

The choice isn’t easy. I think we can learn from Spiderman. Enemies are always seeking to destroy him. Even the person Peter works for, the publisher of his pictures, is out to get him, though Spiderman is keeping that man, and the city, safe.

But ultimately, Peter Parker realizes that he is most content and happy when he is fulfilling his purpose. He realizes that what he thinks he wants isn’t what makes him who he is.

We are in a war. It is a spiritual war, and we are fighting it whether we like it or not. Satan is seeking us out to destroy us. And those we work for are often hostile to the things we believe, though we have the best in mind for them. But ultimately we must realize that we will be far more content and happy when we are fulfilling our purpose than just trying to get what we think we want.

We have a choice, we can speak out and defend the principles we believe in, or we can cower in fear and not use the power we have. But make no mistake, Satan is still gunning for us, whether we use the power we have or not.

What’s your choice?