CHANGING OUR STARS

One of my favourite films is “A Knight’s Tale” with Heath Ledger. It recounts the story of a Knight’s squire who, upon the untimely demise of his master, disguises himself as the dead Knight in order to complete a joust, collect the prize money and thus rescue his two friends and himself from starvation. His victory, however, plants the idea in his head that by continuing to joust as a supposed knight he can somehow “change his stars” and become the real thing. His plan falls over, however, when his fraud is discovered and he ends up in the stocks, only to be released on the wishes of the King to be, and ultimately given a true Knighthood by the same Prince.

The message of the story is that one can “change their stars”: that we have control of our own fate if only we are prepared to “chance our hand” and “go for it”. The action of the film, however, exposes a slightly different truth: that our “stars can change” but only if the King decides to change them for us. In the film Heath Ledger’s character had to bring himself to the attention of the future King, but it was the will of the Prince that made him a knight, not his own.

This is true of all “fairy tales”. Character’s change their futures by spectacularly bringing themselves into the favour of the King and then he bestows on them their reward – a new life.

Right principle, wrong king.

Jesus Christ is the “right” King.

We can “change our stars” but only by bringing ourselves to the attention of Jesus, and, like all kings, we do that by humbling ourselves before him… throwing ourselves prostrate before him, begging for His forgiveness for our wretched, sinful lives, and asking for His permission to start again on the journey He has planned for us.

Are we bringing ourselves to the attention of the King? Are we submitting to Him daily? Are we humbling ourselves before Him?

So many “Christians" complain that their lives aren’t what they would like them to be (see scotwise.blogspot.com – Tues. 24/1/2005 for more details on this condition) – it’s because they aren’t bringing themselves before the attention of the King, not humbling themselves before him, asking for his forgiveness or his guidance.

Our futures are changed by the grace and will of the King. We can never do it meaningfully without Him.