If you haven’t heard it before, you most assuredly will.
“No. Way. You haven’t experienced [insert a movie you haven’t seen or a book you haven’t read]??? You can’t be a REAL writer!”
How do you respond to a statement like that?
Worse, is it true?
What juicy story-telling secrets have you missed?
For the storyteller, a continual consumption of stories is a vital pillar in growing in one’s craft. The greats of every art form—from painting, to music, to architecture, to sports and beyond—always remain students of their craft in both study and execution. For us storytellers, the same is true. One of the key ingredients of our ability to output stories stems from our intake (both subconsciously and via careful study) of other tales.
Citizens from centuries past would have positively drooled at our bodacious banquet of books and stood spellbound at cinema. For both the storyteller and the story-lover, we are blessed indeed.
Used properly, stories are essential tools for understanding and processing the world, and have been used for both noble and nefarious purposes since the day mankind fell.
One of the greatest enjoyments of being a storyteller is eagerly learning of stories that have meant a good deal to others, and then partaking of them in like-manner (or, as more often happens in my case, adding them to a decidedly lengthy, ever-growing sad list of “somedays”).
I’m a massive proponent and advocate of story consumption. However, there are books and movies that, for one reason or another, I’ve chosen not to read or watch.
Why?
Because stories affect us. Every one of them.
Great writers are great readers. But great writers know (or eventually learn) their knowledge of storytelling is based on the breadth of their reading, not any individual story. The same is true of films.
What one story (it doesn’t matter which one) won’t do is make or break our abilities to subsequently tell good stories, despite what well-meaning individuals exclaim.
Our responsibility as writers, and by extension, readers, is discerning which stories will have the greatest impact on our lives beyond the creativity factor. Which stories will open our hearts and minds to truth, and which ones will slam them closed or attempt to entice us away from God?
This certainly doesn’t mean only consuming stories created by Christians (if it did, we’d have precious few movies to watch), nor does it mean only taking in stories with a Biblical Worldview. Rather, it all comes down to being wise. Reading and watching with intentionality. Knowing what affects us, and discerning when—for the sake of our relationship with Christ—it’s best to stay way.
A mighty man of God—Oswald Chambers—wisely said:
[gdlr_quote align=”center” ] “It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read. Remember that ‘the need to receive, recognize, rely on the Holy Spirit’ is before all else.” (Approved Unto God) [/gdlr_quote]
How does this work?
I’m going to risk suggesting two possible mindsets when choosing our stories. The depth of decision-making and other factors to consider is absolutely deeper than this, nonetheless, when choosing stories to consume I’ve personally found that knowing which of these two questions I’m asking reflects whether my mindset is in seeking self or Christ.
Therefore:
Mindset #1: What/how much can I read/watch before God’s not pleased?
OR
Mindset #2: In reading/watching this, can I stay close to my Savior?
Subtle, right?
- Mindset #1 pushes boundaries; it puts our craft before God.
- Mindset #2 embraces Christ as Lord of our craft, our vocation, and the skills which He imbued us with in the first place.
It all (at least for me!) comes down to the attitude of our heart and where our desires lie. First and foremost, is my desire for Christ and to know Him in a deeper and closer way? Or are other desires (even the “good” ones, such as wanting to be a better storyteller) swaying my decision-making instead?
Pursuing Christ will always result in His best for us.
Not the easiest, the prettiest, or the most rewarding from an earthly standard, but the best for our souls and the work He has for us, rather than the work we think we can do for God.
And yes, that sometimes will mean not choosing a story that others have embraced. Not in a legalistic way. Not in a holier-than-thou way. And certainly not in a way that hasn’t first used our God-given brains to actually think rather than blindly accepting or denying.
It’s about what matters in light of eternity.
For me, it takes a daily reminder that “all of my works are like filthy rags.” Even the best of my storytelling, offered to God as a sacrifice and directed by Him, isn’t needed by God. He graciously chooses to use the feeble things I do because He loves me and created me for certain works which He directed before the ages began:
[gdlr_quote align=”center” ]”For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10[/gdlr_quote]
And if I’m being obedient to Him and pursuing Him with all my heart, He is pleased with the work of my hands and can choose to use it to further His Kingdom.
But I mustn’t for a second believe that my work is so well needed by God that if I don’t watch a certain movie, I then won’t have what it takes to do my duty. Bluntly, that’s when our work becomes our idol, no matter how nicely painted in justification hues it may be.
If the Lord has ignited the furious flame for storytelling in your soul, the greatest care you can take is ensuring it doesn’t burn the only thing that truly matters in light of eternity. The stories we create and enjoy on this earth will come and go, but our relationship with our Savior will endure forever.
I’m not going to call out any particular books or movies here. I have my opinions (and I know you do too!). While we can certainly argue there are some stories no one has business experiencing for the sake of their souls, for most the choices will be different.
Ultimately the choices of which stories to experience should be carefully considered.
What steps can I take to decide if I should watch/read a particular story?
Prayer
Seeking the Lord trumps everything else on this list. Consistent reading of His Word, seeking Him continually in prayer, and acting in obedience lays the foundation for hearing His voice when you need to make these decisions. Then, when the Lord directs you in a certain way, I promise the best thing you can do is simply obey. Don’t try to rationalize, argue, or convince yourself “it’s really ok”. Once you start sliding down the slope of questioning clear directives from God, it’s not an easy path to struggle up again. “Yes Lord” might not be the popular answer, but if we’re in this for the Kingdom, it should be the only answer we’re willing to give.
Wisdom from trusted believer
Second to prayer, I mostly rely on the thoughts of others who I know are closely following the Lord when choosing stories. The one caution here is the weaker-brother/stronger-brother argument (read Romans 14 for further context). What affects me might not affect you, and vice-versa. In-depth conversations with fellow believers who are actively seeking the Lord can provide great insight into what content a film offers and how it is utilized. But, when it comes down to the wire, we know ourselves better than anyone but God, and it’s our responsibility to listen to His voice and direction, regardless of what even a close brother or sister might say.
Common Sense
I said I wasn’t going to call out any specific story, but I’m going to break my self-imposed rule just once. I’ve never seen it, and know little about the actual story other than what I’ve seen in the movie trailers, but I really don’t need too much research to get a fair inkling that 50 Shades of Grey probably isn’t going to get my relationship with the Lord anywhere fast. Typically, this will be the exception rather than the rule, but from time-to-time using a bit of common sense can actually be a bit easier than we think to make a wise decision. Just saying.
Content Review Websites
A bit of a caveat here: listing content in movies isn’t always done well, nor is it always accurate. My greatest gripe with content-review websites is often the context of content simply isn’t provided. Nevertheless, seeking advance insight into the type and extent of certain content can help guide the decision process. A few options:
imdb.com movie listings often offer introductory content overviews (especially for mainstream movies), but can be incomplete or occasionally nonexistent. However, their spectrum of movies to search through is unmatched.
pluggedin.com conversely has fewer “reviews”, but their specialty is providing in-depth resources from a Biblical worldview. I don’t always agree with their assessments, but they make a solid attempt to provide audiences with a useful tool.
Time
This probably seems like a bit of a weird one. Despite my best intentions (and maaaybe because I spend too much time trying to write. Did I just say that?), my to-read/to-watch lists grow faster than those crazy vines at the end of Goblet of Fire. I’ve accepted the sad truth that I’ll never reach the end of either list. Instead, I must triage!
As emergency room personnel see patients in the order of severity, so must I consume stories in the order of which ones are most likely to change my life—potential epicness, as it were. Now, this certainly does not mean bold and flashy. Rather, through a careful formula of word-of-mouth, imdb rating (this bit’s hit-or-miss), and my general mood for the day, I can easily choose a story with enough gravitas to shake me upside down.
Or, I can waste an hour struggling to make a decision until my wife decides that we’re going to start working through the list alphabetically. Either method works :). You get the idea though. Intentionally choosing films with the greatest potential to climb the twin peaks of enjoyment and epicness might not be absolutely necessary, but it is beneficial.
A closing bit of encouragement
I won’t close with this caveat often, but in this case it feels warranted: I hope I haven’t discouraged you! It’s not easy being a Christ-follower in an art-form that is largely guided by the world, but that makes our mission, our intentionality at pursuing our craft, our God-given time, and our creative output all the more meaningful.
By all means, learn everything you can by seeking stories. Just remember, it is the Lord Christ we serve, and in the end our relationship with Him is the only thing that will matter when this world comes to a crashing close and we enter eternity.
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