Friday, July 20, 2012

Doctor Who and adventures without the Flying Blue Box

Alright, alright. I confess:

Doctor Who is my favorite t.v. show.

Why you ask? I think that somewhere inside us, if we care to admit it to ourselves, we all long for adventure. A big, blue box to take us somewhere into space, meeting characters, rescuing planets and meeting with adventure and leaving the mundane far behind. We all long for that idea that there's something more.

The Doctor always has a companion with him. To keep him company, to help save the world and more often than not, to keep him out of trouble. His companion is always human. Usually some unsuspecting person that, when swept off into the unknown, is in for a world of adventure.

And the Doctor. Unlike anyone before. Mostly because he's not human. Always there to save the day. Always ready with a solution. Charming. Beyond time. He never ages, never really changes. He may change his appearance every once in awhile, but he's always the same Doctor.

After working a long day, with people being their usually ornery not-so-nice-kind-of-people, faced with the feeling of despair and defeat- I wouldn't mind a good travel through galaxy type of adventure.

But adventures don't always come wrapped in blue boxes. They come wrapped in challenges that we face everyday, in traffic jams and shopping store lines.

The Doctor may not really be there to save the day, but you know, we have someone who is a whole lot better than him. And that's God. God may not pick us up in a blue box, but when He stretched His hands out on that cross, it was an open invitation to join Him on an adventure. That adventure of everyday life.

In one episode, "Th Family of Blood", a young boy is trying to explain who the Doctor is and he says, "He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and can see the turn of the universe. And...he's wonderful."

It's a beautiful explanation, that hints at so much more. Like our God. There are subtle clues around us but it hints at so much more. But our God is not fire and ice and rage. He is love, redemption and forgiveness. Our God shines bright like the sun. He reaches into yesterday, today and forever. And He's....wonderful.

Wake up tomorrow looking for adventure. For while we may not see a flying blue box, we may just see our God with His arms stretched wide, waiting for us to join Him on a journey.