Lessons from Thor (i wasn't sure what else to call it)

I thought you dead./ Did you mourn?/ We all did. Our father.../ YOUR father! He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?/ We were raised together, we played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?/ I remember a shadow, living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss, I who was and should be king!/ So you take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights? No, the Earth is under MY protection, Loki!/ [laughs] And you're doing a marvelous job with that! The humans slaughter each other in droves, while you ideally threat. I mean to rule them. And why should I not?/ You think yourself above them?/ Well, yes./ Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother. A throne would suit you ill./ I've seen worlds you've never known about! I have grown, Odin's Son, in my exile! I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it.../ Who showed you this power? Who controls the would-be-king?/ I AM a king!/ NOT HERE! You give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream!... You come home.

I love the heart of Thor. He continually extends reconciliation to Loki. His heart is for his brother to repent. No matter what Loki does. Even in Thor: The Dark World, after he says, "KNOW that WHEN you betray me, I will kill you," he says, "I wish I could trust you." After everything that happened, after Loki killed him, he still forgives. While on Pinterest the other day, I saw something that I thought was quite profound. It said, "Watching Thor, I find it sad that Loki spends so much time wallowing in the fact that he's not Odin's favorite, but he completely misses the fact that he's Thor's favorite." It's most obvious when Loki dies*, Thor's grief is real and heart-rending.

Similarly, I think we, as Christians, spend much of our lives wanting to be popular or the cool friend or the favorite, and we miss the fact that Jesus is there loving us... Even after we killed Him. Sure, I may be stretching the example, but I hope you get the point. Jesus wants us to "give up our poisonous dreams" and come back to Him. To what matters. *side note: Yes, he didn't die and I was so upset that Loki didn't ACTUALLY die. He died so well. There was reconciliation. There was closure. Aaaaand they had to screw it up by letting him live

The Reflection of Christ... Through Thor?

Okay, if you know me, you know that I absolutely love Thor, the movie, that is. 

I am so impressed... No. I am astounded with the way Anthony Hopkins portrayed the emotion in this

scene. 

The brokeness that Odin feels for his son's arrogant rebellion and shameless disobedience. The admittinge that he made a mistake in thinking Thor was ready. In a way (now I want to be careful in how I say this! as to not be sacrilegious or blasphemous), Odin is a type, a shadow if you will, of our own Heavenly Father. The Bible says that the Lord disciplines him whom He loves, as father, the son in whom He delights. Freya tells Loki that Odin has a purpose for everything. He chose to chastise Thor... To bring about change. He broke his son. In order to rebuild him. Because he loved him. It's so beautiful. 

And then, in this scene, Thor himself reflects Christ. Sacrificing his love to save his enemies. The frost giants. 

I find it beautiful that such a well-done movie reflects such strong Christian morals. Loving your enemies. Honoring your parents. Forgiving your betrayers. 

I keep finding more reasons to like this. I'll find more later.