My favorite characters in stories, TV shows, and movies are always the conflicted ones. I like conflicted characters because the struggle is usually most realistically portrayed in these characters. The bible says in Deuteronomy 30:19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!" This verse indicates that we all have a choice to make and which path we will go down. The bible also talks about the blessings and curses that flow from our own mouths. Throughout literature and film history we see the recurring theme of redemption and the need to change. People are not one dimensional beings, we are all very complex.
Most recently I have been amazed by the character of Mr. Gold in ABC Family's Once Upon a Time. People can't always understand why I have a favorite character who is constantly hopping back and forth between good and evil but I think that he is the most realistic character in the entire show because of that. I am not saying that we all go out ripping hearts out or that his ability to use magic is something we can all do but we all have our own masks that we hide behind and we all have felt the weight and pressure of the world. Once we know that we are flawed beings, we can have pity on others, not because we are so much better off but because that God has made us so much better off. Romans 3:23 says "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard." This means that we have all done evil and sinned before God. Left to ourselves we always follow the wrong path but because Jesus came into the world and died for us we have hope!
But Mr. Gold is not the only character who echoes the struggle between good and evil. There are so many examples in literature and film. The Lord of the Rings is riddled with such examples! Other characters in Literature and film include: Edmund from Narnia, Bois De Guilbert from Ivanhoe, Michael Henchard from The Mayor of Casterbridge, Arthur Dimmesdale from The Scarlet Letter, Sydeny Carton from A Tale of Two Cities and so many more.
We have all lived in the grey zone but today is the day to move out! choose who you are going to serve and which path you are going to take. We are flawed and in need of the savior but there is hope in Jesus. Even Mr. Gold will one day have to choose which path he will follow.
