For Star Wars Day // 1 John 2:16

Today is the whimsical “Star Wars Day.” It’s believed that it started with a simple loss of translation with today’s date and the famous line from Star Wars, “May the Force be with you.” There are so many quotable lines from those movies, but one I want to visit today in the current line of thinking for this devotional space comes from Episode IV: A New Hope. There is a scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi is teaching young Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. Luke is struggling a bit, and the old Jedi Master put a helmet on Luke’s head and says, “Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.” This reminds me of today’s verse from 1 John 2:16 which cautions us that our eyes and desires are easily seduced by the ways of the world. The Star Wars universe would caution us about being seduced by the Dark Side. Luke wondered if the Dark Side was more powerful, but he learned that it wasn’t. The Dark Side, however, was faster, easier, and more seductive according to Yoda. The same is true for you and me. The ways of God are infinitely more powerful, but they require time, discipline, and growing into maturity. We can get impatient and choose to indulge in pride and possessions. We end up worrying about how much we have to lose when this is the case as opposed to how much there is to gain with the Lord. So on this silly Star Wars day, let’s focus on the ways of God as opposed to the ways of the world. Yes, that might be a bit slower — and require discipline — but it’s worth it in the long run, extending well into eternity.