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**SPOILER ALERT**
I watched Netflix’s Birdbox this weekend and I must admit, it was a good movie. It had so many memorable lines, but the line that really stuck with me was when Sandra Bullock’s character, Malorie, was trying to impress upon her daughter, Girl, that no matter what happened, Girl, must save herself. She made her say it to remember. The girl said, “I SAVE MYSELF!”. We tend to think that automatically we will save ourselves, but that is not always the case. It was shown time and time again throughout this movie that people will go out of their way to save others, even when it puts their lives in great jeopardy.
Malorie wanted to impress upon Girl the importance of saving herself, and I want to impress upon you, the importance of saving yourself. I know you’re wondering why I’m saying this, after all that movie is based off a science fiction book and more than likely, there won’t be any ‘demonic wind’ that comes around and make us want to kill ourselves. Or is there?
Think about it for a second. What comes around like a thief in the night and forces us to behave in ways that are self-destructive? Could it be hate, anger, envy or jealousy? These emotions are destructive in nature and our actions at times causes us to act in self-destructive ways. For example, when we hate our bodies (our face, our breast, our butts), we inject ourselves with Botox, a known poison, we put silicon in our breast, which can leak and cause tissue damage, and then there’s all the butt lifts that have gone terribly wrong.
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What happens to us when envy or jealousy rears its ugly head? We go into debt living beyond our means to feed the green monster. We want to keep up with the Jones’, but the Jones’ were born with generational wealth, so you can’t keep up with them – at least not working at the kiosk in the mall.
Another demonic ‘wind’ that could come into our lives unsuspectedly is procrastination. My hand is way up on this one. How can procrastination cause me bodily harm or death? I don’t know about you, but when I procrastinate to the very last minute, I may drive a little faster to get to my destination. Y’all know what could happen when you exceed the speed limit. I may say something harsh to a stranger who took my parking spot, when I was running late. Y’all know what could happen over a parking spot, right?! When I procrastinate and do a quick crappy job on a work assignment, my boss may not be happy, and I may find myself unemployed. So yes, procrastination is quite self-destructive.
There was one scene in Bird Box at the supermarket when funny Lil Rel Howery’s character, Charlie, recognized the voice of a crazed co-worker who was trapped in the freezer. What did the group do? Open the damn door and Charlie had to sacrifice himself to save the others. Poor Charlie! Sometimes, that demonic ‘wind’ will be a recognizable entity that we let into our lives. Y’all know those people who didn’t mean you any good then and they don’t mean you any good now. I believe it was Maya Angelou who first said, “If someone shows you who they are, believe them.” Charlie recognized that something was ‘off’ with that co-worker, but the evil was allowed back into Charlie’s life to cause destruction. I’m not saying that it’s ok to not help a person in need, but when you recognize evil, it’s wise to Get Out! (Did y’all catch that?)
The biggest demonic ‘wind’ that causes self- destruction all over the world and we continue to keep our blindfolds on is depression. We walk around oblivious of the fact that our sisters, brothers, cousins, sons and daughters are struggling with depression. The blindfolds come down briefly when a celebrity commits suicide, but less than a month later, the blindfolds find their places back on our faces.
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So yes, Birdbox is a Sci-fi movie, but don’t think for one minute that we aren’t walking around blindfolded trying to navigate our way to safety while avoiding the evilness in the world. We do it every day and my Bird box challenge to you is to SAVE YOURSELF!
To save yourself, you must first recognize that there are emotions and behaviors that are self-destructive and could very well lead to death if not checked. I mentioned hate, jealousy, procrastination and depression, but there are so many other negative emotions, behaviors and attitudes that can cause harm to ourselves and others.
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In the movie, Malorie was trying to get herself, Girl and Boy to a safe place up the river so that they could remove the blindfolds. I have some good news that I’d like to share with you. You can take your blindfolds off right where you are. The thing is though, when you remove your blindfold, you must face the evil head-on. Scary, huh? Yeah, I know, I’ve been there.
The good news though is that we have a God that is so freaking awesome, and He loves us so freaking much that when we remove the blindfold, all we have to do is to call on His name and trust that He will guide us to safety. Psalms 23:4 states ‘‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” I know evil exists, negativity surrounds us everywhere and sometimes we are even the perpetrators of it. I also know that God exists, He will fight our battles and lead us to safety. Whatever challenges we face with the blindfolds off, we don’t have to face them alone. So yes friends, my Bird box Challenge to you is to Save yourself by calling on the name of Jesus!
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LEAVE ME A NOTE TO LET ME KNOW IF YOU ACCEPT THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE.
Love this post and totally needed to read it today! Si inspirational!
Thank you for reading!
Wow! I love the interpretation you got from this film and the Bird Box Challenge you have created. Very motivational, thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Very thought provoking and philosophical. I agree with your statement about the different types of demonic ‘wind’ and it’s comparison to the Bird Box movie.
Another fabulous post, I love it and yes I am inspired to save myself
I have not seen that movie yet. It looked a little dark for my tastes. But I agree with the saving grace of Jesus that you mentioned.
Such an important message! Love the parallels here. Great read! xo
LOVE everything you said. I’m focusing on my mental health this year so it was great read. It’s easy to forget about yourself when other people around you are hurting too.
Yes I love the post as well we often think that helping others would help us but often time it back fires
You got a lot from this movie! I’ve been hearing so much about it you know I’m going to give in and watch! Sometimes when things get so hyped, i try to avoid them, but I’ll watch this 🙂 Thanks for sharing your insights!
First time reading your blog and I’m in love! Well done, Vanessa.
I’m still trying to recover from Bird Box. I love this post, though. I don’t need to rely on anyone but me and God!
Amen to that!
I haven’t seen Bird Box yet because I don’t like scary movies, but I’ve heard so many good things that I might have to make an exception. Regardless of the movie, I love this post! I was nodding my head in agreement while reading the whole thing. I’m definitely going to work on saving myself this year!
Sam,it wasn’t really scary, just suspenseful (I guess). But yes, sometimes, we have to save ourselves!
Yes, this challenge is much safer 🙂
Really great interpretation of the movie, love the themes you addressed!
Thanks!
I watched this movie and love your take on it. It was a great book, too!
Thanks for reading!
Hi Vanessa, I really love your perspective on the movie. The challenge you put forth is one well worth taking. You have such a fresh writing style and present the truth in a relatable way.
Thank you. I appreciate you for reading.
I wasn’t a fan of the movie, but the take away message that YOU give here is powerful. Save yourself. Nicely put.
Thank you!