Not Today
On Sunday nights millions of fans worldwide have gathered to watch the last episodes of Game of Thrones. One could argue, it has been the most compelling show of the past decade. This final season, controversial though it may be (some would say, not up to par), it has still been watched by millions. There have been some big episode and needless to say we are all curious as to whether someone will win the game, or if they will all die since those are the only choices Cersei gave us in season 1. I guess this is a good place to say, “Warning, spoilers ahead.”
First, I know that there are folks out there who would condemn me for watching GOT in the first place. In fact, I know one person who would pretty much question my faith since “real Christians don’t watch such depravity.” Whatever. I’m not going to write my defense of watching a TV show. But if your response is similar to my friend above, I will suggest you err on the side of love instead of your normal judgement. You are not the Jr. Holy Spirit sent to convict in my life. The Holy Spirit doesn’t need you.
Ok, back to the show. This isn’t going to be a breakdown of the episodes, I won’t be talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of the season. But there is one character by whom I’ve been captivated. Arya. There is something so compelling to me about Arya’s story. The traumatized child who loses everything, on the run with a man who teaches her how to kill more effectively, then who herself trains to become a hardened assassin and proves she’s good at it, and finally, an empowered young woman, defender of her family, and potentially one of the greatest heroes of the show.
So what is it that is so compelling about her story? I think there is something about the heroic arc of her story that gives us all hope. Just go along with me here.
Arya suffers tremendous tragedy and ends up on a journey. So many crappy things happen to her along the way but not once does Arya play the victim. She makes choices, she learns, she grows, and she defends her family. Then, she uses everything she has learned along her journey to fulfill her purpose (killing the Night King and whatever is left for her in the finale). Everything in her journey made sense when her purpose became clear.
I wonder if her story so resonates because it speaks to our own journeys. Our world is ugly. There is so much hurt and injustice and evil around us that spriritually speaking, it often feels like the god of death is closing in and wreaking havoc. There is trauma all around. See the rise of white supremacy. See continued police brutatliy. See children traumatized and separated from their parents at the border. See the border. See addiction, divorce, job loss, health issues, financial struggles, broken relationships, death, loss, etc. The Night King is marching, the god of death is having a field day.
In the midst of this, there is us. In some ways, we have all experienced trauma too. We have all had seasons, to one degree or another, of survival. Some are there now. Yet, like the character of Arya, we all have choices to make and I believe, a unique purpose to fulfill. And also like Arya, I believe that when we discover that purpose, our meandering journeys make sense. Not that all the bad things were meant to happen to us, but more that the God of our journey can redeem even the worst in our stories.
As a follower of Jesus, I do believe we have an enemy set on our destruction. I also believe that our Creator has empowered us individually and collectively with all we need to not just defend ourselves but to ultimately defeat that enemy. We can change our worlds.
Light will always shine in darkness. We are all called to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.” We each have a unique role to play, a unique purpose to fulfill, a unique part of the broken puzzle to put back together. But we must choose to not be victims in our stories. We must choose to fight, to redeem the broken in our stories and find that purpose and when we do, be about that.
Arya learned early in her story what to say to the god of death. We too must turn to face him and say, for the sake of all humanity, “Not today.”
Note - Here’s hoping in the finale tomorrow night the writers don’t ruin Arya. ;-)