Bird Box, Star Trek, and Spiritual Blindness
Both present a biblical truth…
What’s Bird Box?
Bird Box is a thriller movie set in present times. There’s a malevolent force floating around that is invisible to the audience. Yet, the characters in the movie can see the entity. And when they do — they end up going insane and harming others or committing suicide.
To prevent this, the characters in the movie wore blindfolds so they wouldn’t see the monstrosities. They purposefully (but temporarily) blinded themselves.
What about Star Trek?
The Original Series episode ‘Is There No Truth In Beauty?’ centers around a lifeform called a Medusan. They are non-humanoids who are incredibly ugly. A human will instantly slip into insanity and die when he sees a Medusan in true form.
In this particular episode, one of the characters charged with escorting the Medusan aboard the Enterprise was physically blind. No amount of exposure to the being could harm her because she couldn’t see it.
However, she was arrogant and also harbored a deeply entrenched jealousy of Mr. Spock. That attitude prevented her from recognizing the true problem — spiritual blindness. It hindered her connection with the Medusan.
It wasn’t until she acknowledged her own inner ugliness that she was able to finally connect with the Medusan.
And What’s the Point?
The sin in our lives can be the same way. It’s an inner ugliness that eats away at us, even we’re not aware of it.
We can purposefully blindfold ourselves to the daily sins we commit, like in the Bird Box movie. We go about our days blocking out what we know is wrong.
Like the Star Trek character, we can become permanently blind to those sins we relish because we’ve committed them often enough to become desensitized to them.
Jesus Pointed Out Spiritual Blindness
Jesus once admonished the Pharisees about their spiritual blindness. Their physical eyes were wide open.
Yet, they were still ‘blind’ because didn’t think they were sinning, and therefore didn’t need forgiveness of their sins. They were stubborn and proud.
Many of us feel the same way today.
Fortunately, the blindfold has been snatched off for those of us who realize that we are sinners in need of a Savior.
Jesus is the only One who can reconcile us back to a holy God and also bear His wrath —the punishment we deserve. When we accept Jesus, we’re not open-eyed blind anymore.
We’re Not Good Enough
It doesn’t matter how ‘good’ you are. Your level of goodness won’t cut it. God’s requirement for holiness is off the charts.
You (and me too) are not good enough for admission into heaven — not without Jesus’ help. And if you do think you are good enough — then you’re spiritually blind.
You’re wearing a blindfold.
We can truly only see when we realize that Jesus gives us spiritual sight so we’re not blind anymore.
We are all sinners in need of God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Until we realize this fact, we remain blindfolded, like the Bird Box characters.
And don’t be permanently or willfully blinded (like the Star Trek character), by living your life and dying without Him.
If you’re struggling with submitting to God, try this article. For lighter fare, there’s always ‘3 Things We Let Our Pets Get Away With’ here. Or, if you like Star Trek the Original Series, check out this article.
Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.
