Some thoughts on "The Grey"

I was awestruck at the ferocity and efficient brutality of the wolves in Joe Carnahan's superb 2012 film, The Grey. I was devestated every time a character would meet his demise. It was truly man vs. wild--"this time it's personal." I felt so cold when I saw the ice hanging off their faces. I felt as helpless as these characters in the face of their grim fate. I wondered, would I be a survivor? Would I be brave? Would I even know what to do? Would I resist the leadership of a man like Ottway? Would I question God the way Ottway does?....do I question God already for much worse reasons? As I was saying, the themes of this film lead to a place where *spoiler-blah-blah-blah* man is left alone, his friends killed, his body broken, his life destroyed--in a brutal, careless, meaningless, godless world. Man calls out to God, "where are you? Do something! Show me something real! Earn faith! Not later, now!" It's a startling cry and a sobering bargain. God's silence in that scene is indicative of many people's experience when presenting supplications to him. "Do this for me, do that for her, save the life of this person, protect that person" etc.; only to be met with seemingly no answer at all. I do not share the meaning Ottway attributes to God's silence ("fraudulent mother-f----r"), but I can share his frustration. These days I often find myself calling God out on the madness of his plan and the non-sensical way he goes about things. But therein lies the same problem which Ottway exudes: a supreme and unfounded arrogance. If I cannot wrap my brain around something; if it does not make sense to me; if it is not playing by my rules; if I cannot figure it out, sum it up, or comprehend it, then it must not be real and it must not be God and I will spit it out. I have since come to realize that the Kingdom of God as I believe it, is not a democracy. God is a king; a true king. A king is someone who inherently has authority....he has it. No one gives it to him, no one appoints the king...he is king because he has the authority. What he says...is so. In the world, we have also have democracies--where the people can theoretically depose their king without war. In our monarchies we also have kings who can be deposed, but only through bloodshed or abdication. But neither of these are examples of true kings. The God-king cannot be deposed, nor will he consult his people; he speaks and it is so. I have to admit that this view of God produces a measure of fear in me. This is because I literally have no control over what happens to me if God is in charge. Here is the good news however: God, the only true king...is a good one. Yes, any sane person ahs to admit as The Grey, and so many countless life experiencs have shown, that our lives are filled to the brim with heartache, pain, and dread. Why exactly does the good, loving God allow this? Well, the simple aswer is this: because life (my life, your life) is about him. Whatever brings God glory is what goes ultimately. Whatever gets us united with him is what he strives for. Furthermore, I have come to understand that the idea of being free from suffering is un-godly anyway, because God himself suffers! He suffers grief, rejection, heartache, physical pain, and longing for us. That is part of his character, his nature; but above all, the story he is writing is one of restoring what was destroyed, reuniting what was seperated, returning what was lost, and ressurecting what was dead. I may have issues with God's methods for how he goes about reaching us, but I am slowly giving up my "right" to understand things and instead, I am learning the value of submission. I have no doubt that I will face troubles and I too will suffer as so many have and do around the world. I have no idea what the extent or scale of those trials, but I am certain that they will come, and I pray to God that he will give me the strength to endure what is to come.

Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I'll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.