Blast from the Past 13 - Bruce Almighty and Doing God's Job

This series consists of notes that I wrote on facebook in the past. Enjoy reading my thoughts during my college years. Please comment but please be nice! Also please feel free to check out my other Blast from the Past Posts.


From December 2006


Bruce Almighty and Doing God's Job

I watched Bruce Almighty this afternoon and it was interesting. I have seen it before but it was different this time. I saw more than just a movie this time, I saw a meaning behind the movie. The plot is about Bruce, who never seems to get what he wants. He works as a reporter, but he wants to be an anchor. He thinks that he gets all the wrong stories and he wants better ones. He wants more money and more things. Then another guy gets the job he wanted and his life seems to fall apart. Just as it seems that his life couldn’t get any worse he gets beeped. His beeper keeps going off until he finally gives in and calls the number. He is offered a job and told to go to a warehouse. At the warehouse he meets God. During his troubles Bruce gave up on God at asked why God wasn’t doing a better job. During the meeting God gives Bruce his powers. Bruce eventually discovers that he is not doing a good job at God’s job. He doesn’t know everything so when he didn’t know the consequences of his actions.

The part of the story that really made me think, though, is that Bruce thought that he would be better at being God than God is. This is a thought that probably most of us have had at some point. Of course we don’t just come right out and say it, but it is there deep inside. When we pray and think that what we pray for has to come true because we know that it is best for us, we are trying to do God’s job. When we see the troubles of the world and think that God should do something about them, we are thinking that God is not doing it right. I know that I have been guilty of these kinds of thoughts many times. This attitude is complete arrogance, we think that we know better than God does. God knows everything, including the future, he knows what is really best for us. Bruce Almighty convicted me of the fact that I have been arrogant. I never thought that I would learn a spiritual lesson from such a mainstream movie, but I did.