no one asks to be lied to: lessons from the Hunger Games

All right – before I get started - no judgments,

we can’t control how God chooses to speak to us… :)

And just an fyi – if you are planning to read all three Hunger Games books and haven’t yet…
there will be spoilers below.

So… lately my patience has been quick to run out (quicker than normal) –

I have heard a few different people say things that just caught me off guard, things like

“we are so going to hell, but hey – at least we’ll be together, right? we’ll have a good time”

Or like “no alcohol? Yeah, ok. that would be real fun” (PURE sarcasm)

Or “Jesus just isn’t the name it used to be. The fact is that there are other names that just attract more attention. Its just the way it is”

and all of those things literally feel like a punch in the stomach.

Not just because I don’t agree with any of them…

but because the people who truly believe things like that – are MISSING something SO huge.

They are missing LIFE, missing the truth that there is so much more.

and I don’t know if I’ve been around more of it lately or if God is just opening my eyes to it a lot more –

but its everywhere and its physically painful for me to hear.

I just want people to KNOW that Jesus is EVERYTHING. that if we start putting Jesus second or third or twentieth to anything else…its not going to end well for us.

and no- a party will not be involved…even if all of our best friends are in hell with us.

Everyone suffering together does not make it fun. it just means they are all suffering.

and my response to this recent loss of patience- to be super loving 24/7?

I wish.

my response is to get frustrated and just bite my tongue…I don’t want to "preach" or "lecture" – but I find it hard to just laugh along…

so – and I’m just being honest here – I end up getting frustrated and distancing myself.

you might be thinking – well that’s not helpful.

and you would be right. however…its harder to see that and DO something different when you are right in the middle of it. which is where the Hunger Games come in… :) well, the Mockingjay to be specific. I needed a new book for the bus rides and so I picked up one I’d already read…

(yes, I’ve read the hunger games twice now. its fine)

and I had gotten to the Mockingjay-

to the part where Squad 451 goes to join the war. and while they are sitting around one night, Peeta shows up. the soldiers are shocked to see him because, due to circumstances beyond his control – the Capitol kidnapped him and played with his mind, basically turning him into an assassin, assigned to kill Katniss – who he used to love, and ALSO happens to be part of Squad 451.

people have helped to get the poison out of him…but he’s still struggling when he gets to the camp.

and Katniss gets defensive, instantly distancing herself from him. angry because well, he’s just not very nice to her anymore. BUT… in response to this, she talks to her mentor and this conversation happens (and it might not be word for word…but close) -

Haymitch: you’re punishing him for things he can’t control!

Katniss: no I’m not

Haymitch: you are. you need to help him.

...do you remember we made a promise to save him? try and remember.

and this time when I read the book – that conversation stuck with me. (And there is more to it, I just pulled out a couple of the lines.)  But for the last few weeks – every time I get frustrated, that line comes to mind – “you’re punishing him for things he can’t control!”

Peeta didn’t ask to be poisoned. and he doesn’t WANT to hurt Katniss. he doesn’t WANT to give in to the poison. but it no longer comes easily to distinguish truth from lies. And unless someone helps sort it all out, its not likely he will ever figure it out.

no one ASKS to be poisoned. We, as humans, have a sin nature. We are drawn to sin. and we don’t ASK to be lied to – but because satan is at work, we are constantly being fed lies to mix in with the Truth we’ve heard and if we are not fighting to keep our eyes on Christ – its going to get real tough, real soon to distinguish the lies from the truth.

so if someone hasn’t accepted Jesus into their lives, if they HAVEN’T asked Him to take over and become the life in them, to have the Holy Spirit help to discern –

then why would we EVER expect them to live according to the truth?

and believe it or not –

it does not do ANY good to ignore them, to judge them, to distance ourselves completely, to just wait until they’ve figured it out…

Because, as we all know, following Jesus and His truth does not come naturally.

It’s a battle.

It’s a struggle.

and as tempting as it was, and as JUSTIFIED as it would have been (he was trying to kill her), for Katniss to just walk away from Peeta –

the good in him was still there, however difficult it was to see.

he just needed to remember it.

and he needed help.

Instead of writing people off because they believe different things or because they do things that don’t line up with what we know to be true – we need to help them.

We need to stay relevant in their lives.

We need to help sort out the lies from the truth.

We need to be a light – because if that light disappears, if darkness takes over- hope ends.

Yes, people make bad decisions.

Yes, people do things they know are wrong.

Yes, it can be frustrating…

But we can’t hold people to a standard they never agreed to meet, either.

that’s not our job.

Our job is to be a light, to be a living example that there is HOPE.

To show that this world, the lies, is not all there is.

And we can’t do that if we let our frustration win. If we just walk away and wait for them to catch up.

Jesus came to save ALL of us.

and when we were saved, when we were changed – we agreed to submit to Him, to be a part of His mission. to reach out to and love His people.

we agreed to be there for them.

We need to try and remember that.

We can’t just sit back and watch them die,
living our own happy lives.

Jesus loves them.

and its not over.

the good is still there.  don't give up.

Who says we can’t learn from fiction?

God’s creativity in His teaching methods never ceases to surprise me…

Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!  Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

Isaiah 58: 9-11

"Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Luke 1: 78-79

-ALIVE