I never saw Die Hard until either last Christmas or the year before. I can’t remember. Terry was aghast I had never seen this “classic Christmas movie.”
Okay. Let’s talk about that for a second. People actually call Die Hard a Christmas movie. Yes, it happens at Christmas. But that’s it. It’s not a Christmas movie. Let’s not fight about this. Let’s just agree it should not fall under the Christmas movie category.
I digress.
So one day several months ago, Terry and I were talking about the weekend I met Senator Fred Thompson and drove him around. Terry said, “You’ll really like his character in Die Hard 2.”
Staring at my husband in shock, I said, “Two questions. One: Fred Thompson is in Die Hard 2? I didn’t know that!”
Terry, “He is and you’re going to like his character a lot!”
Me, “second question. There’s a Die Hard 2?”
Terry looking at me like, “How did this never come up when we first met and started dating?” But instead, he laughed and said, “There sure is! And a Die Hard 3, 4, and I think a 5.”
Looked it up and sure enough, there are not only five, but six Die Hard movies. Six. Like how much harder can people die? It’s kind of like when Terry and I watched John Wick and my parents told us they saw John Wick 2 at the theater and Terry and I couldn’t believe there were enough people left for John Wick to kill to make a second movie. Now there are four.
I swear I have a point.
So last week, we watched Die Hard 2. And the runway scene where Bruce Willis lit a fire and waves the burning flags/flames to help light the runway that has experienced a total blackout, (by the way, that cannot be a spoiler for you, because that movie was released in 1990. 30 years ago. 31 later this year. But back to my point).
I loved how Bruce’s character had the idea to light the runway to try to help the plane land.
The next day, Terry and I were praying about our next chapter in life. As I was praying, I prayed, “Show us Your will, Papa. Guide us, please. Direct us. Light up our path.”
I don’t know if you have ever looked specifically for scriptures about God directing our paths, but there are an awful lot. You know why? Because God has promised to direct our paths.
I particularly love this verse: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” - Psalm 119:105 (NLT)
That passage reminds me of the Amy Grant song I loved as a little girl, “Thy Word.” Based on that passage, Amy sang:
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
I will not forget
Your love for me and yet
My heart forever is wandering
Jesus be my guide
And hold me to your side
I will love you to the end…”
When you and I are searching and seeking for God to direct our paths, we have no better map than His word. When we immerse ourselves in His word, we have daily nudges of scripture to remind us of seeking God’s plan for us, not our own plans.
When we immerse ourselves in His word, we know to seek His face, not our own reflections in the world around us.
It won’t be as dramatic as Bruce Willis using gas to ignite cloths and flags to light a fire in order to guide our way … but when we dig so deep into His word, each and every day … He makes it pretty darned obvious for us.
And He washes us with a peace that says, “Follow Me. I’ve got you.”