Bella meets Edward at a vulnerable moment. She is new to school and Forks, and this gorgeous creature known as Edward begins to pursue her. In the first chapter of Ephesians, we learn a great deal about being pursued by a mysterious being. Ephesians 1:3-6 reveals a picture of God’s work before time began. The Message says that, “He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love.” God designed us with a plan – to love us well. He created us for His glory, which involves a love beyond measure. I believe that God created the earth and all the people in it. Before He created this world, He had us in mind and decided that we humans would be the focus of His love. How cool is that?
For me, identity is the most prominent theme
of Ephesians that coincides with Twilight.
Bella seems to worship Edward. She sees him as perfect, almost like a heavenly
being. On multiple occasions, Bella describes Edward as looking like a god or
some figure taken from Greek mythology. In the reality of Twilight, Edward is just different, more than what Bella sees in
her own life. Like most people, Bella bases her identity on her own perception
of herself. When we view our identity through our own internal human lenses, we
can have faulty assumptions like Bella. How many of us carry around childhood
teasing in our self-images? My hand is raised high in affirmation to that
question. How many of us hold insecurities too close to our self-images? An
identity based on internal, broken evaluations or even external, hurtful
comments can fluctuate depending on the feelings of that day, the time of the
month or even our current life stage. An identity grounded within God’s plan is
a consistent, everlasting experience.
American Idol season one winner Kelly Clarkson has a song
called “Beautiful Disaster.” The song shares the inner thoughts of a person who
is trying to love someone who can’t get it together in life. This person has
great beauty but wreaks havoc as well. I will never forget the first time I
heard this song. I was alone in my car, driving to a friend’s house. The song
overwhelmed me by its lyrics. God showed me that this was how I perceived His
view of me. I felt like He saw all my outward beauty yet struggled to love me
because of my disastrous decisions of the heart. I felt like God saw me as a
beautiful disaster. Like a gentle shepherd, God used this moment to open my
heart towards him. Have you ever felt like a beautiful disaster? Like your
outward appearance didn’t quite match your inward journey? As we journey
farther into God’s heart, we see that His love covers any brokenness that we
bring to the table. Our identities are changed in Christ. We are no longer
beautiful disasters but strong, beautiful members of God’s family.