Nerd-fession

This is my confession (not an Usher song) about being a nerd, my nerd-fession if you will.  In my previous anniversary review post I mentioned that part of our anniversary celebration was a 3D viewing of the final installment of Harry Potter.  That's nerdy enough, but to truly confess I must inform you that my nerd streak goes a whole lot deeper.  I have loved two great novel series in my life, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.  I had an affair with Pirates of the Carribean and once dressed up like Jack Sparrow, but I try to sweep that one under the rug.  Nevertheless I must let my inner nerd out occasionally and now seems as good a time as any.  

Nerd Proof 1)  My husband bought mt an exact replica of the Evenstar necklace worn by Liv Tyler in LOTR for our first Christmas

Nerd Proof 2)  We bought two copies of the final book in the Harry Potter series because we couldn't share and had to finish as soon as possible.

Nerd Proof 3)  I saw LOTR Return of the King at a 12:01am showing and then went back to see it 4 more times.

Nerd Proof 4)  I had my name translated into elvish, it's Tari Nienna.  Which is pretty awesome, you know... if you're on your way to a sci-fi convention.

There.  I feel so much better after confessing my inner nerd.  So, back to last weekend when I was watching the Harry Potter Finale in budget breaking 3D IMAX.  I won't spoil anything but in the final scenes where wands and spells were flying and the students and faculty of Hogwarts were striking blows against Voldemort and the bad guys I found myself incapable of containing myself.  And I actually began to cheer out loud in my theater seat.  My heart was wrapped up in the story on screen and it seemed as if my future depended on the good guys defeating evil in the film.  That my friends is a sign you are in a good movie, but as we walked out of the theater I started to reflect on why is it I love a well written good vs evil epic series so much.

Feel free to call me corny, I've already confessed to nerdy, but I see and feel strong connections between these fictional stories and what I have experienced about life.  If you have read or watched either Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, you know that the basic premise of the story can be broken down like this.  Good people are forced to fight very bad guys in order to go about the basic business of everyday life.  In each series there is a dark lord trying to wipe out all that is good in the world in order to achieve ultimate power.  And the little guys have to step up and fight for the most basic of freedom.  In each story there is one article, be it a ring or a wand through which all can be ruled and forced into dark submission.  

Can we all be honest?  Sometimes life feels like that.  Battle language is spread throughout the bible, and when times get tough we all feel like we are in a battle for our very survival.  While I am confessing I can honestly tell you that in the darkest days of my life, after my parents died, I fought for very basic things against a very dark force, death.  When death, illness, divorce or loss comes you do have to stand your ground and fight hard.  The bible I read does portray a story of good vs evil, and as God released the whole book all at once we don't have to wait to find out who wins in the end.  

That brings comfort but doesn't take away all the pain of fighting in today's conditions, where the enemy still prowls and seeks to steal our joyful life.  I think in some way we all resonate deeply with some version of these two stories.  We have all fought our own versions of these epic battles and we all have scars and tales to tell.  And so I say, thanks be to God we are still fighting, and kudos to us for refusing to surrender the spirit.  Be honest about your battles, both won and lost, and share your story.  Someday when my kids are old enough to understand I will regale them with my stories.  I will tell them of the times where something dark crept in and tried to steal my soul out of me, I will tell them how I fought, how God came through and I will make sure they understand that that is why I am able to sit with them that day and explain the past.

I don't know where you are today in your battle.  Maybe you are in a time of peace, resting your soul from a previous fight.  Maybe today you are fighting something dark, just trying to survive.  To you I say: keep fighting.  Contact me and let me know if I can pray for and support you.  Reach out to those who love you, ask them to revive and encourage you.  We are in a battle friends, so stand strong, remember who you and who sustains you.

If you need some encouragement pop Lord of the Rings, return of the King into your DVD player or head on over to the theater to catch the latest Harry Potter movie.  As nerdy as it may seem, there is truth in those films and a beautiful reminder that in the end, love wins.