Wolves

With all the rating levels that mark a movie's acceptability for youth, I believe that there is a missing rating. Rated -H. "H" stands for "sucks all the hope for humanity out of you." H stands for "this-movie-will-make-see-the-world-as-a-horrible-horrible-place-where-no-child-is-safe-and-adults-can-be-monsters."

Maybe I am just too easily affected by movies. I have watched two recently that are H-rated: Precious and Gone Baby Gone. Precious - horrible movie, but I watched the whole thing. I don't know why. What a horrible life. What a horrible mother. What a horrible set of circumstances. I cried for what felt like all day ...at least on the inside. Gone Baby Gone - now I can see why this one is considered a great movie, but man did it give me nightmares. I was okay until the scene where they go into the crack house. What kind of monsters are those people? It made me hate to even wonder if monsters like that really existed. Eekk...I hate thinking about it now.

But, the truth is sadly, that this world is the devil's. It is corrupted and false. It is tempting and hateful. Not all the people in it of course and not every part of the world, but truthfully there are some ugly things in this world.

It reminds me of the scripture that speaks on wolves. Jesus used the image of a wolf to represent a sneaky, vicious creature. Furthermore, wolves are one of the main enemies of sheep farmers. And since Jesus is our shepphard, and we his sheep, I just have to remember that the Shephard has vowed to save us from the wolves. To save us from all evil, actually, even damnation.

Jesus spells it out in John 10:11-16.



I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

I am so thankful for my shepherd. And I pray a prayer of protection and guidance for all those that need the good shepherd. Wolves are scary.