I am amazed at the way God changes people, most of all when that person is me! God has a way of transforming everything about my life: my thoughts, reactions, desires, and pursuits. During my late teens, I experienced what I can only describe as a very dry time spiritually. I had such callouses on my conscience. Or perhaps my conscience had not been made tender by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Things that never used to bother me certainly disgust me now.
Case in point: I used to be a huge James Bond fan. In the mid 90's when the films made a resurgence, I collected nearly all of them. I had over 20 VHS tapes of Bond films starring Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and even George Lazenby! When James Bond seduced a girl, it was something to laugh about. Instead of "Boys will be boys!" it was "James will be James!" The gadgets, cheesy and over-the-top special effects, weird villains, and amusing recurring characters were all part of the fun. The newer movies have little similarity to the hokey style of the older films with their trademark mink gloves, vodka martinis, caviar and quail eggs, sharks, and fast-motion fighting sequences.
The other night I switched the channel on the TV to see Roger Moore in a suit talking to M acting in "The Man with the Golden Gun." It was nostalgic to watch Bond banter back and forth with Moneypenny. I left the room and returned when Bond was interrogating Scaramanga's lady friend. He started talking with her, and suddenly slapped her without warning. Then after breaking her down by force, he was given the information he wanted. Then, of course, James was James. Before the scene was over, I turned it off because the scene turned my stomach. It totally disgusted me to see Bond's treatment of that woman. As I poured a glass of water to head upstairs, it struck me that I had never been disgusted by Bond, though over the years he had given me plenty of reasons to be. I was always able to distance myself from the characters and the people in the films. It was only just a dumb movie, right? Why did something bother me now that had never bothered me before?
I do not stand in judgment of people who enjoy or own Bond movies. I am not even saying I will never watch one again. But what I am saying is that I discovered that I have increased awareness and sensitivity where before was deadness. A dead man cannot feel anything. In stark contrast, a healthy man has nerves which conduct feelings of pain for the protection of the body. I praise God that He is giving me a greater sensitivity to what is right and wrong to put before my eyes. My definition of a "clean" movie used to be limited to the amount of cursing or nudity. But what message does the film send concerning the treatment of women? That never used to be on my list. By God's grace, it is now. That's a change only God can make. The closer we are to Christ in relationship, we will begin to see things more as He sees them.
Interestingly, there was a part of my life when I envied James Bond and wished I was like him, mostly for his emotional detachment and confidence which enabled him to turn every situation to his advantage, and somehow he always got the girl.
ReplyDeleteThis realization of my error finally came after listening to the audiobook of Casino Royale. At the start I was in awe of the character's portrayal, but by the time I got to the end of it, I was disgusted at my foolish desires. James Bond is a broken man without love or concern for others, a far cry from the image of Christ we are called to pursue.