Flashforward

The highly anticipated and publicized series premiere for Flashforward aired last night.  It has a very impressive cast, and a pretty fast-paced script.

While I do occasionally watch shows like CSI, the Mentalist, and  Lie to Me, drama and action are typically not my type of genre; and neither is Sci-Fi, although I do appreciate Star Wars, Star Trek, etc   I would have to admit that the main draw to this show for me was the chance to see Joseph Fiennes on the small screen.  I'm a fan of his from his "Luther", "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth" movies.   He strikes me as a very serious and intelligent actor, with character and integrity.  But, additionally, I did also find the premise of this show to be an interesting concept.

What would I think if I flashforwarded 6 months into the future?   Do I believe in fate?  Well, from the Christian perspective, I do believe in some measure of "predestination".   Scripture says that God chooses us; and He certainly is omniscient, knowing all things past, present, and future.   However, He has also given us "free will"; so, we do have the ability to make choices in our lives.   It's a balance somewhere in between the two - our lives are not just marching through a pre-scripted fate, nor is every part of our lives fully in our control.

I believe that I have, on very rare occasions, been given very small glimpses into the future in some of my "dreams".  Some of them did come true and I would experience feelings of deja vu.  To me, that's probably how I would view a flashforward..... that it is a glimpse into the future that will come true; but, I had contributions to the choices made that got me to that point.   I guess that begs the question, if we tried really hard to avoid that vision of the future, would it change?   Personally, I'm going to go with "no".

So, if I were given a flashforward 6 months into the future, what would I want to see?  It would be March 2010.  I think it would be neat if I saw myself involved in a ministry new to me, some sort of a community service or outreach; or maybe even speaking at an event.   This is a good reminder to me to continue to dream God's dreams, to have vision for the future rather than just living day-to-day.