“I’m
your… density.” These words spoken to
Marty McFly’s (future) mother by his (future) father, point to a bit more than
a nervous, unconfident teenager stuttering to speak to the girl he likes. In a subtle way, they reflect the human
wrestling with the notion of destiny.
So, what is destiny? Is it
real? This seems to be a key question
for these comedy movies, but also for our lives.
Ultimately, the popular notion of
“destiny” is a secular attempt to make sense of a notion we all find
attractive: that all things happen for a reason. Yet, having accepted the false premise that
faith and science can’t coexist, the Christian notion of providence seems impossible.
Thus, “destiny” is born – which ultimately ends up being an impersonal
determinism for our lives. The Back to
the Future trilogy tests the theory by seeing how much changing one small
detail of our lives changes the course of our future. And all of these comical misadventures lead
to what seems to be the real point summed up by Doc Brown at the conclusion of
the trilogy:: “Your future isn’t written yet!
So make it a good one.”
So, what is the alternative? The key is this: yes, there is a plan for our lives! But, that plan includes your
free will, because it is written by your Father who loves you and made you for
happiness. He respects your free will,
because He gave it to you. In the words
of C.S. Lewis, “Free will, though it makes evil possible, also makes possible
any love or goodness or joy worth having.”
Free will reflects the image of God and makes this goodness and
love possible. So, the key is to realize
that our actions do influence the
course of our lives. And yes, God can bring great good from our greatest
sufferings and even our worst sins – this is called redemption. But, He is not a puppet-master deceiving us
with the notion that we have control of our lives. No, the choice is ours what we do with our
lives. But, our loving Father, asks us
for the humility – and offers us the courage – to believe that His plan for our
lives really is the surest bet for our happiness. Ask Him for the gift of believing this with
greater courage today.
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| If you don't get it, think about the whole Cubs winning the World Series part of the movie. |