Having spent one week sick in bed, and another week in Santa Fe at the hospital with my husband, Steve, I wanted to have some special time with our son, Jack, when we returned to Dallas. Under normal circumstances, Steve and I are not “movie-goers.” We choose to wait for movies to appear on instant video or on demand, watching from the comfort of our own home, and with the ability to click “pause” when needed. Even when we dated in college, we rarely spent our times in a movie theater; personal preferences, I guess?.
Our son Jack, however, really likes to see movies on the big screen. So, upon our return, and while Steve continued to recuperate, I promised a trip to the theater to see “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.” If I’m going to pay a lot of money to see a movie in a theater, it’s going to be a high action movie, with great stunts and visual effects!
I was especially interested in the opening scene, shown above. Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) was determined to stop the ‘rogues’ from stealing a large pallet of nuclear weapons. He was so determined, in fact, that he ran down the runway, jumped onto the aircraft, and latched himself onto the door, all while the aircraft was lifted into the air at amazing speed. Hunt had no choice but to hold on, waiting for his partner, Benji (played by the ever charming and funny Simon Pegg), to open the door by way of improbable technology.
Of course, the door opens. Hunt needed help, Benji heard him, and opened the door. I don’t know how that happened; the details are far lost on me. What I do know, however, is that Hunt had faith in his friend, and his friend pulled through.
Watching Hunt hang on, while the plane rose to cruising heights at speeds faster than I can even imagine – I realized that’s the kind of month I had in July. I just had to hang on, knowing life would one day be normal again. In the meantime, though, I had faith in my friends, and that God was my companion. I knew that eventually, the door would open and I would get a long overdue breather.
Later in the movie, coincidentally in the final scene, Ilsa Faust (British undercover, played by Rebecca Ferguson) looks at Hunt and declares, “You know where to find me.” Her line is a play on a previous scene in the movie, which I will not detail here, lest I spoil the movie for you.
The concept of “You know where to find me,” though – that line brings the intro scene for me to full circle. See, when I think of hanging on, despite incredible odds and difficult circumstances, I can’t help but look for God, and know I’ll find him.
In the Gospel of Matthew 28:20b, Jesus reminds us “I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus, Son of God, is there with us, as we hang on, and as we ask for comfort. God is there, all the time, working with us and through us to bring on the peace that passes all understanding. And God is there, working through friends, who open the door for us when we ask.
I’m thankful that God is with me as I hang on. I’m thankful to each one of our friends who sat ready and able to open the door, and who took our hands, ready to pull us in from the rushing winds and climbing heights of our troubling month.
“You know where to find me.” Yes, I do, God. Not only do I find you in prayer and solitude, but I find you in the lives of friends who open the door when we need shelter the most.
Amen.