Saturday, January 15, 2011

Unstoppable

One of my favorite genres of movies (if I can call it a genre) is the kind based on a true story. I realize no one quite knows just how "true" they really are and how much is Hollywood taking artistic license. Nonetheless, they are often amazing stories of heroism or miraculous achievement. Today I saw one such movie.

(Click here to watch the official movie trailer)

Unstoppable was a fast-paced movie that had me tensed up the better part of the 98 minutes it took to watch it, but also included comedic moments, and just enough heart to keep the women interested. Aside from a little bit of harsh language (of which I am never a fan), I thought it was a great film and I would certainly deem it worth watching.

But this post is not a movie review. That's not why I'm writing.

According to Wiki ... "Unstoppable is inspired by the real life CSX 8888 incident (also called the "Crazy Eights" unmanned train incident) in 2001. The train, led by CSX Transportation #8888, left its Walbridge, Ohio, rail yard and began a 66-mile journey through northwest Ohio with no one at the controls, after the engineer got out of the originally slow-moving train to correctly line a switch, mistakenly believing he had properly set the train's dynamic braking system...."

I couldn't help but feel this was analogous to many people's lives. You set the controls for an uneventful ride, turn your back for just a moment and soon find yourself with an out of control runaway train.

"How did this happen?"
"How did it get so bad so fast?"
"What can I do to stop it?"

Maybe you're asking these kinds of questions. Maybe you feel like there's no way to fix what you messed up. It's a runaway train now.

But the key in life is not that different than the one in the movie - get someone at the controls that can help. In this story, the event that led to the problem was a naive guy who believed the train could just "coast" with no one at the controls. Even for a short amount of time, this is a bad idea ... both in life and in trains. Everyone needs someone in control.

"If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather serve—and do it today... As for me and my family, we'll worship God."
(Joshua 24:15 MSG)

All of life is a choice about who is at the controls of your life, but serving no one is not an option. An unmanned train is a runaway train. Instead, we each need to recognize that God is more than just our Creator ... He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith ... the One that gets us where we need to go ... and only He is the Savior that can stop the runaway train.

If your life is feeling out of control ... on a path you never intended ... it's not too late. But you can't do it yourself. Give God control ... the controls ... and let Him steer you on an unbelievable journey that ends with a safe arrival.