So… another Doctor Who post since I’ve been re-watching
several with my pal Dalton. One that we’ve watched recently is a two-part
episode “The Impossible Planet” and “The Satan Pit”.
***SPOILER ALERT HERE***
The Doctor and Rose end up on a space base on a planet that
should not exist: a planet that is orbiting around a black hole. The crew of
the base, out of pure human curiosity, came to the planet in order to discover
how that planet could possibly stay in orbit and possibly harness that power. Things
start to unravel in the space base as a being that seems to be the devil
incarnate, the being from which the legend of the devil emanated from, begins
to terrorize the Doctor, Rose, and the crew. He begins speaking to them and
digging at their deepest fears. The crew and Rose start to panic at his taunts,
but of course it’s the Doctor who brings everyone back to their senses with a
speech:
“That thing is playing on very basic fears: darkness, childhood
nightmares, and all that stuff … What makes his version of the truth any better
than mine? Hmm? Because I’ll tell you what I can see: Humans! Brilliant humans!
Humans who traveled all the way across space, flying in a tiny little rocket
right into the orbit of a black hole, just for the sake of discovery! That’s
amazing! Do you hear me? Amazing! All of you: the captain, his officer, his
elders, his juniors, his friends. All with one advantage: the Beast is alone.
We are not.”
Just like Satan would, he plays on the fears of every living
being. He uses our fears until we feel utterly alone. Those are the times that I
feel most vulnerable and weak. The adversary tells me that I’m alone, that I have
no friends, that I am not loved, or some other twisted tale. The adversary
loves to use half-truths. Yes, I may be alone at this moment. Yes, I may be
having a hard day. I may have had a bad day at work. I may have failed a test
(thank goodness I’m not in school right now).
But even if those things are true, what makes his version of
the truth any better than God’s? The truth, the better truth, is that God loves
me. God knows I am of infinite worth. God sent His Son to suffer for me because
He loves me. God is my Father. God wants me to be close to Him. God cares for
me. God will always do what is best for me.
I don’t know about you, but one of those stories sounds a
lot nicer and happier than the other. If I focus on the negativity of Satan,
darkness will fill my life, but if I will listen to the light of the Savior and
to the Spirit, He will bless me with truth, comfort, and love. I’ve seen this
in my life and I know it to be true. The Savior loves me and He will always be
there for me.
Satan is alone. He will always be alone. He will never have
a body, a family, or the experience of this mortal journey. He will never be
happy. On the other hand, I have a body, I have my friends, I have my family, I
have my agency, and I choose to be happy surrounded by those who love me.
This is awesome! I really believe that the best things happen when we focus on the good. I've always loved a quote by C.S. Lewis in The Silver Chair book of The Chronicles of Narnia. Basically, two children and Puddleglum, a "marsh wiggle", descend into a deep cavern to free a prince from the witch. They find the witch but she lights a magical fire and entrances them, telling them that their belief in Aslan, and even an above-ground world are all made up. Puddleglum musters some courage, stomps out the fire, and then says this:
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If we believe in and seek the good, our lives will be full of light. Thanks for your thoughts Spence.
On a similar note, I have sometimes thought about "what if I'm wrong about the gospel?" I think that even if I did end up being wrong, it's a great way to live :)
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