Short Film Review: Distracted

If you are reading this review on the Sabbath, then I would like to wish you a Sabbath filled with a clear focus on who God wants you to share the good news of Jesus Christ with.

This week’s review is for a short film called, Distracted.  

Description

This short film illustrates how aspirations of success, and the busyness of life, can dictate our actions. A young professional gets so caught up in his 'life' that he loses perspective on the things that truly matter.

This is a powerful short film, that focuses on three Bible verses.  

Matthew 10:32-33 

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 6:2 

behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation

In a little under four and half minutes, we are shown a somber reminder of how the day to day routines, in our lives on this earth, can delay the work that God has set for us to do.

This reminds me of something that happened in my life a few years ago.

On the 29th March 2019, God impressed me to send a message to a childhood friend of one of my brothers.  I thought it very strange, as I had not spoken to this friend since I was a young teenager and we had both moved to different countries in later years.  Nevertheless, I prayed and sent the message, telling this friend of my brother, that he had crossed my mind.  At the end of my message, I sent the Bible verse I had received on my Bible app that day.  1 John 4:9.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  

I also sent an image with a coloured background with the text, Jesus is the truth that lights the way.  I was excited to see what message would arrive that day.  

My message was not read.  No reply came the next day, or the next month.  In December of the same year, almost nine months later, I received a reply.  This friend, Andrew, was happy to hear from me and expressed the difficulties of living in what he called, a lonely world.  Andrew had had a troubled past and seemed to be still struggling with the same issues.  However, he was open to hearing about Jesus and even said at some point that he had accepted the good news.  He wanted to share it with his friends, but was frustrated that they were not interested. I know the feeling and I’m sure you do too.

We exchanged messages for a few months and when I wrote a message to him on the 18th April 2021, he didn’t reply.  I later found out that he had passed away, the day before I sent my last message.

I remember the shock and anguish I felt, but it was immediately followed by a feeling of joy, in the Lord, for calling me to spread the news of Jesus Christ with Andrew, before his life ended.  I hope to see Andrew when Jesus Christ returns.  Amen.

I don’t know how many prompts I have missed, but I try to remember and rejoice in the ones I have noticed and acted upon.  God is just and righteous, with no fault found in him (Deuteronomy 32:4), so I know that when we, as sinful human beings, drop the ball, God finds another way to spread the good news of salvation to individuals, because God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).  Praise the Lord!

My prayer is that God helps us to clearly hear when He calls us to do His work and that we remember to rely on His grace to complete the work.  Otherwise, Satan will for certain make sure that we get distracted.  

I watched, Distracted, on the CTMI YouTube channel.  CTMI stands for Church Team Ministries International -  a Christian organisation, established in 2001. 

Thank you for reading this review.  Until next time - peace be with you.

NB!  Correction - Andrew replied in Dec 2020 (not Dec 2019)

Thumbnail and program source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiRPuICS9a0&t=192s

True to the Word podcast link: https://www.renewedfaithmedia.com/podcast

NB!  I have no affiliation with CTMI.