Shining

http://www.ps260.com/molly/SHINING%20FINAL.mov

If possible, watch the above link before you read on.


I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. I've watched that trailer several times. You know what I like about it? It is a picture of redemption. The first thing you have to realize, is that all of those clips are taken from a movie called The Shining, based on one of Stephen King's early novels.
The original story is about Jack Torrance and his family during a winter snowed into the Overlook hotel in Colorado. Jack is a struggling writer and thinks that being the off-season caretaker in a a luxurious Colorado hotel will help to up his creativity. Danny, the child in the story, has a supernatural gift. He learns from another man who shares the gift that it is called the shining.
As Jack struggles with his writing, he begins to fall back into his alcoholism and is haunted by spirits that live in the hotel. He begins to lose his mind and becomes a threat to himself and his family. It isn't a pretty sight, as you can imagine.
In this new version, Jack and Danny start their lives apart, but end up together as a family, making things better for both of them. The theme of hopelessness and insane violent outbursts is replaced with love and connection.
Jesus said that the pure in heart were blessed, for they will see God. Being pure in heart does not look like The Shining. Many of our inner beings are like that, though. We're ugly. We hide violent and angry thoughts. Some of us harbor grudges and others just live them out by looking down on others. Possibly, we see the problem and want nothing more than to be free, but we can't get there. We remain held prisoner to what seems to be part of our character and personality.
But with a bit of connection and love with the living God, we become pure in heart. When we see our dark heart and desire otherwise, when we recognize that Jesus is in the business of polishing this kind of thing up, then we can accept that from him. Despite our rotten interior and our humanistic instinct, we become pure in heart. And when we know that, it begins to become true, like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Only God is doing it. And we become less and less troubled inside and start shining.