Lessons from fantasy storytelling

This post was a blast to write. Thank you to Tracey Dyck from Adventure Awaits for tagging me for this post. And a thank you to Jenelle Schmidt as well, as both of the tags originated on her blog.

What will now commence is the completion of the two fantasy themed tags I was tagged to complete. The first will be on lessons from fantasy, and the second is a “What if” scenario.

Let the fun begin!

Life Lessons Learned from Fantasy

6 lessons- You’ll see me refer to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia A LOT!

1. We all have a part to play

We each matter and we each are gifted in a way indispensable to the success and well-being of others. There is a role He has gifted each of us for that only we can do. Some fantasy examples coming to mind would be Luke Skywalker being the only one that could save his father. Taking the ring was Frodo’s task. But the lesson applies to each of us no matter our role. You matter!   (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

2. Sacrifice and love

Love and sacrifice come across in the fantasy I most enjoy. It is not for selfish gain that Frodo journeys to Mordor to destroy the ring. The heroes in Star Wars don’t risk their lives out of selfishness. Peace, justice, freedom, love, etc. are the motive. (John 15:13 "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." NLT)

3. We need each other

The fact Gimli declared that the fellowship failed might seem to contradict us needing each other, but it doesn’t. Frodo’s friends’ actions were imperative in allowing him to destroy the ring. Han and Leia got the shields down to let Lando destroy the death star in episode 6. We all intrinsically know that we need each other. It’s not weak to admit that.

4. Deception sucks. Know truth

There are tragic moments in cinema that stand out to me. Some of the most tragic scenes take place, are in Revenge of the Sith. Anakin is deceived. Anakin believes a lie and acts in unspeakable ways. Had he believed and followed the truth; he never would have done what he did. Obi-Wan said; “He was deceived by a lie. We all were.” (John 17:17: "Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth.")

      

5. Evil doesn't stand a chance

Evil never wins in the fantasy I enjoy. There might be tough times, but there’s always a happy ending. The empire is destroyed and Vader is redeemed as Anakin Skywalker. Aslan resurrects and the White Witch is destroyed. Sauron is destroyed and Aragon becomes king. God is on my side and I need not fear. 

6. Awestruck of my Creator

It's true that not every fantasy film or novel delves into allegory, but one can still see the love of God and His majesty shining through. In every epic fantasy I watch; I think of the wonders of God. As you look at the mountains at the beginning of "The Two Towers"; doesn't that inspire you somehow? As I see the vastness of the Star Wars galaxy; I think about how there really are billions of galaxies that God has created. That's cool. And to think that the God that created the galaxies created me and you and that He came to die for me and for you...that's just amazing!          

                     

The What If . . . ? Fantasy Tag 

1. Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. The cast of the most recent fantasy book you've read comes to your assistance . . . Who are they? Will they be helpful?

I get Kadin and Leira from “Quest for Celestia”. They sure would be helpful! Once they know you're a fellow vagabond, they will do everything they can to help you. Seeing some of the impossible situations they battle through in the book; fixing a car would be a piece of cake.

2. You go to bed one evening and wake up in the lair of the villain of the last fairytale you read. Where are you and how do you plan to get out?

The last fairy tale I watched was Shrek 4. So that puts me in a tough spot; chained in Rumpelstiltskin’s dungeon and destined to die when the sun rises or by being eaten by a dragon! Whichever comes first. Ultimately I'm reliant upon my friends to save me. I'd try my best to pick the lock of my chains, disguise myself as a guard, and then sneak out of the castle to get to my friends.

3. You are transported into a fantasy realm and given a mythical creature as a companion and best friend . . . Which mythical creature do you get?

A talking lion or tiger would be real cool!

4. In a strange series of coincidences, you end up needing to take the place of your favorite fantasy hero or heroine. Who are you?

I really like Obi-Wan Kenobi. His role is quite a daunting one.

5. To go along with question #4, now that you are that character, is there anything you would do differently than that character, now that you are running the show?

I would take Anakin with me to fight General Griveous. And I'd try to be less snarky with him when he was a young padawan.

6. If you were yourself in a fantasy novel, what role do you think you would play in the story?

I'd be proud to be the trusty and stable sidekick that has a couple of one liners to help the hero or heroine on their journey.

7. One morning, as you are going about your daily business, you pick up an everyday item and a voice booms in your head with prophetic words about your future. What object is it, and what is the prophecy?

As I grab a bowl for my breakfast; I hear; "You have been chosen. Go the the outdoor hockey rink tomorrow at 2:17 for further instructions.” As you can see; I was not sure how to answer this one haha.

8. You are transported into a magical realm and turned into a mythical beast . . . What beast/fantasy creature do you want to be?

The Elves seem pretty cool in Lord of the Rings. 

9. If you could read your way into any fantasy realm, but the catch is you can never leave, would you? Which realm would you choose?

Narnia would be the place I'd choose without question. Star Wars and Middle-Earth both seem epic, but Narnia is still the better universe. There’s a sense of peace in Narnia that doesn’t exist in any of the other universes. And it’s because Aslan is there!

10. As you are going about your normal day, you discover that you have a magical power. What is it?

I'd love the ability to know the truth in each situation. That'd be real helpful. To be able to become invisible could be cool. Being able to fly would be kind of cool too.

Conclusion
Well that's the end of the post. Hope you enjoyed it. And to anybody reading this; I tag you to complete one or both of these fantasy tag exercises! Zero pressure, but they can be a lot of fun and a great time of reflection. Please let me know if you decided to take the challenge. I'd love to take a look at your post when it's up. 

Thanks for reading. God bless you.


Here are the links if you choose to accept the tag challenge:
Life lessons learned from fantasy
What if.......? fantasy tag

One more link:

Here's an article I wrote talking about how God can connect with you using story

Making a Mission Statement Using Your Favorite Stories

I was inspired to make a list of all of my favorite stories and intended to do just that. I had no idea what number that would take me to, but I ended up stopping at 23. (I explain why at the end of the post). As I looked over my favorite stories; I saw patterns in what I appreciated about the stories and ended up creating a bit of a mission statement. It was a blessing to me and I hope it is to you too.

Here's how I did it.
I made a top 23 list of my favorite movies, books, and music artists. Then what?

Well, after I made my list, I wrote down one line summarizing what I liked about each story.

Next, I scanned over my one line summaries and looked for patterns. When I was able to identify some; I made a list.

Now I had a list of patterns. Then I compiled that list into one paragraph. Thus creating my Mission Statement!

The mission statement doesn’t encompass all of my dreams in life, but it reflects the man I want to be no matter my circumstances.

It was my favorite part of the post, but I'm not going to share it here right now. You'll do just fine creating your own.

Here's the process once more: Select a number of stories or go until you've gotten all of your favorite ones, and write a one line observation for each story summarizing what you like about it. View your observations, and extract patterns from them. Turn those patterns into a single paragraph. (And if you wish to, feel free to add scriptures within that paragraph.)

And there you have it. A personal mission statement!

Conclusion: 

That brings us to the end of this post. I’d like to encourage you to do something similar to this.

When I was making this list, I had wanted to list all of my favorite stories, but while I was making the list…I realized that all of the stories I cut out beyond my top 23 seemed to share the values I already had in my top 23 stories. Which I found interesting.

Did this post help you? Do you feel energized and motivated at all? Are you going to make a list like this? Can you see patterns in your favorite stories as you think about them?

Thanks for reading. God bless you!