When There's a Shark in Your Bedroom

Doctor Who: the only sci fi production in which flying sharks aren't ridiculous.

(And that includes you, Mega Shark v. Giant Octopus.)

I'm generally not a worrier and, though I can be cynical at times, I'm also generally an optimist. It comes with the territory of being an idealist/dreamer, I suppose - something intrinsic to my personality (INFP pride). That being said, I've recently started playing this new game called "being a grown-up" and have been hit with doses of what some more seasoned players call "the real world." (Aside: if you ever wondered why writers make up stories, it's because we find the worlds in our minds far more agreeable than the one we live in.) Now, this "real world" is quite rude at times and has done a few numbers on me over the past week, much to my discomfort. As a Christian, I'm reminded to lean into my faith in God more when things start flying out of my control, and my seminary professors have said the same. In lecture today (Theological and Psychological Foundations of Counseling, to be specific), the prof was discussing people's reactions to disastrous events and big life changes. Sometime in the two hour and forty minute class (ugh), he essentially said that every cloud has a silver lining if you have the right perspective. God doesn't cause bad things to happen to you (though he can choose to allow them), but he will teach you something through the experience if you let him. 

So there I was in a class taught by a licensed Biblical counselor and ordained minister, surrounded by seminary students, all of whom (including me) had just come from chapel, and we were discussing the nexus of theology and psychology. Naturally, my mind jumped to Doctor Who. 

I mean, come on. This is why I keep a blog.

Doctor Who's trademark is its optimism, and the Doctor is its chief champion. Two of my favorite quotes from the Eleventh Doctor are, "There is always, you know, surprisingly, hope," and "I am and always will be the optimist: the hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams." It's very rare when we see the Doctor slip into dejection and hopelessness, though it does happen occasionally and his companions are there to pick him up again. Typically, though, he is the one reminding others and us that giving up isn't an option and that there's always something to smile about. Perhaps the most hilarious example of this is in A Christmas Carol, the first Christmas special of Matt Smith's reign. (Skip ahead 25 seconds to start the scene.)

(For the record, A Christmas Carol is the single funniest DW episode I've ever seen. I've watched it half a dozen times, by now, and every time it has me in stitches. Kudos to Steven Moffat and Matt Smith.)


There's a SHARK in my BEDROOM.

I love the progression of events in this clip. The Doctor and young Kazran Sardick are on a planet where fish swim in the clouds. They want to get a closer look, so they string up the sonic screwdriver as bait and wait for a bite. As you saw, the Doctor gets more than he anticipated. Does that resonate with anyone else? How often have you made a decision or been involved in something that escalated quickly into something you weren't expecting and didn't know how to handle? You think you have your life under control then, suddenly, there's a shark in your bedroom, your sonic's gone, you're in danger and somebody's bugging you with questions about color.

Now, anybody who's watched a single episode of DW knows that this kind of craziness is par for the Doctor's course. He's a time-and-space-traveling 900-year-old alien whose hobbies are being a genius and saving the universe. Trouble is "the bit in-between," according to Ten, and each incarnation rather enjoys getting into and out of scrapes. For the rest of us, I'd wager, trouble is a lot less enticing. Some Christians even believe that they shouldn't experience any by virtue of their belief in Christ. In response to that, I submit to you my favorite Bible verse. John 16:33 - "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." Words of Jesus, promising strife. There are plenty of other verses along the same lines, namely in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus says blessed are those who are persecuted for his name...(Matthew 5). Any theology that says the life of a Christian is supposed to be free of struggle because God promised he'd take care of his people is a pitiful misinterpretation and, honestly, a quintessentially commercial and American/Western product. (I'll put away my soapbox before this becomes a rant about the prosperity gospel. Suffice it to say that I find ZERO biblical evidence for it and I get properly angry when I see people take verses out of context to support it.)

Anyone who's lived at all has experienced some kind of struggle that threw him for a loop, made him ask serious, life-altering questions or caused him to pause and reevaluate things to make sense of it all. For some, this was a break-up. For others, it was a natural disaster or the death of a loved one. It doesn't matter if it "wasn't that bad" in comparison with someone else's - what matters is that it was earth-shattering to you at that time. You've had, will have or are having a shark burst into your bedroom. So what do you do?


Concentrating on the pluses...

Young Kazran hears banging against his closet door and wants to know what's going on. The Doctor, more or less calmly, finds all the exciting and positive aspects of their deadly situation and relates them to Kazran...who only hears "shark" and appropriately freaks out. I like his reaction, because it's probably how I and every other sane person would act. Even we idealists aren't immune to reality, especially when it's barreling down our door intent on devouring us and we're seemingly powerless to stop it. Being afraid is a natural human response to dangerous and uncertain stimuli, which is why God needed to say "Don't be afraid" so many times in the Bible. Seriously, that phrase appears the most often in God's interactions with his people. Why? Because we're too busy freaking out about the sharks.

The human brain is a wonder of creation. It has the incredible ability to process information and block out what isn't necessary or what would overload it. If you were aware of every stimulus going on around you at any given time, you wouldn't be able to handle it, so your brain takes things like background noise and words on signs in your peripheral vision and filters them out of your consciousness so you can focus on the big, important things in front of you. Unfortunately, our brains can do this to our detriment. We can be thinking about and listening to the shark and completely miss the many pluses that the Doctor rattled off. I feel like God does the same thing:

"Yes, your health is in a poor state, your finances are dire and your dog ran away, but concentrating on the pluses, this is a great opportunity for you to let go of that control you feel you need and learn that I am your sustainer. Look at the sparrow and the lily. I provide for them, so I'll provide for you. No, I didn't heal Paul of his ailments even though he asked, and I might not heal you either. But 'to live is Christ,' (Philippians 1:21) and I really am enough. Come, talk with me."

DISCLAIMER! Believe me, I am not one of those people who says, "Oh, just smile and press on. Don't be upset about these terrible things happening to you. Just let go and let God." In fact, those kind of statements are fuel for me to become a counselor, because I think they're overly simplistic, cheap and somewhat disrespectful of the pain people endure. It doesn't say anywhere in the bible that believers aren't allowed to be upset when stuff happens, so why must other believers insist otherwise? No. Instead, I think that, after you experience your healthy and normal emotions of grief, fear, anger or anxiety, you stand up and concentrate on the pluses. It's one thing to be upset that tragedy has struck; it's another to wallow when God (whether through the Holy Spirit, the bible or other believers) is telling you that there are good things in the midst of it all or on the horizon. There is always hope because God is good and eternal. We might not experience the relief we want when we want it, or even in this lifetime, but our reward awaits in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal.

It's hard to be positive when there's a shark in the bedroom; no one said it wouldn't be. Then again, nothing about Christianity is easy. They say that the more you work for something, the more you appreciate it. Concentrating on the pluses, I could always be more appreciative...

Until next time! May the Daleks grant you asylum...
Katya

P.s. Series 7 premieres this Saturday!!! Geronimo!