A Perfect Love

Part of being an intern is being where the students are. On Thursday night, the students were at the midnight showing of the new movie "Twilight." It's been the preferred topic of conversation among the girls at RUF for the past month. Apparently, this movie is based on a popular series of books about teenage love between vampires, werewolves, and humans. How have I not heard of it before now?

I had never been to a midnight movie premiere before, so I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't expecting the high-pitched screams of excitement from the girls in the audience when the main character, Edward, walked on screen. I also wasn't expecting to be entertained in the least.

I'm glad I went, because I know the girls will be talking about it. When they bring it up, I have some questions for them. For example, why are we so enthralled by forbidden love? The handsome vampire named Edward says, rather bluntly, that vampires are enticing to humans (their food) by nature. "Everything about me invites you in--my voice, my face, even my smell." These fictional vampires are designed to attract humans to them, making it easier for them pounce, attack, and kill. The human girl named Bella, knowing the dangers involved, still wants to pursue the relationship, even asking him to bite her so she can become a vampire too.

In the same way, Satan knows what we find attractive and uses that to lure us into his trap. While Satan does not literally kill us, he can lead us to death. When we follow him and turn away from our Savior, we choose death over the life Christ offers us. We want immortality on our own terms. We want what we think is perfect love. We don't realize that we already have a Perfect Love in Jesus. Even when we do realize it, we don't want to wait for it. Rather, we seek immediate gratification, knowing the dangers involved.

There are three more books in the series, so I don't know what happens beyond what I saw in the movie. I'm interested, though, to see where this goes.