Monday, June 27, 2005

Bewitched

God is in control.

In Bewitched, Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman) is the new version of Samantha (from the orginal television series) and an actual witch who is cast to play the new version of Samantha (as a revival of the original television series)... wrap your head around that one!

What this allows the movie to do is have Isabel/Samantha have anything she wants at the snap of a finger (or, in the movie, at the pulling of her ear). As we see throughout the film, what she wants is a normal, non-warlock actor named Jack Wyatt (the Darrin character played by Will Ferrell). So she tries every trick in her book (of spells, that is). The dream house, the love spell, the tricks with the dog on the set... none of these truly accomplishes what she dreams of.

But when Samantha discovers that she must let go of her powers, tricks, and spells, and allow love to work "naturally" (or as I see it, to let God be in control), dreams come true.

Too often in our lives, while we don't have magic spells, we do try every trick up our sleeve to make things work our way. More often than not, the more we try, the less things work out for the best.

Letting go and letting God. It sounds so simple, but it is so difficult for many of us to grasp. I find myself wanting to control every moment of every day, every situation, and especially every dream I have. I find myself living too often by the phrase "If you want it done right, do it yourself." But Bewitched reminds us that letting go is letting God take control, and when that happens, great things do start to happen.

It's a risk, letting go. We need reminders every now and then to do that, even when we're sitting in an air-conditioned movie theatre this summer watching a remake like Bewitched.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If I am understanding you correctly, how right you are, Paul. Right now, I find it extremely hard to let go and let God. The present moment is a great example. I am trying to let God act in my life and help me with being so overwhelmed with things and I am still learning that sometimes God's answer is No or not right now. I have the hardest time accepting that and/or hearing it.
Life is throwing me so much at once, and I want to have things how I want them and when I want them. Anxiety does not make the road any easier to travel down.
It can be challanging and make you scared, and I am just trying to find some calmness in my overly stressed life, and find some much needed peace. Though I haven't seen the movie, the thoughts you have about it, seem to really fit what I am dealing with. Thank you.
Can you offer any other suggestions?