“There will be a film tonight on the playground,” one of my little friends shouted to me. We were all so excited when we heard the good news because, at just five years old, we had never seen a movie before. You see, in the early 1990s, most Chinese people were very poor, and there was no movie theater in many cities, and our city was no exception. And so, movies were shown in public outdoor places after dark. 

We were very inquisitive about the film, so we all arrived at the park early, excited to see our first movie. We watched intently as the cinematographers put up the screen, arranged the speakers, and placed the movie projector at the right distance away from the screen. Being curious, we watched every move they made, wondering what they would do next. Soon it was almost dark, and the park was filled with people. We sat on the ground directly in front of the screen and waited intently for the movie to begin.

As soon as it was dark, light suddenly appeared on the screen as music blared from the speakers. We couldn’t keep our eyes off the screen as we listened intently to the voices of the actors. It was a movie about the Sino-Japanese war, and even though the war was cruel, the Chinese soldiers were very brave. Many soldiers sacrificed their lives, and many bodies fell on the ground. Sitting in the front row, the movie scenes were very vivid as we heard the sounds of guns and cannons. We were especially curious about the rifles and the bullets they shot. The movie lasted over two hours, and in the end, the Chinese army defeated the Japanese army, and China was finally liberated.

At the end of the film, the screen became dark and many people gradually left the park. My friends and I ran to the back of screen as soon as possible searching for the bullet shells from the rifles fired during the movie. Not finding any, we were very disappointed. Two men from the set-up crew came over to us and asked, “What are you looking for?” We answered, “The bullet shells from the guns in the movie!” They just laughed at us and said, “This was just a movie, not real life.” Then we left and walked back home, sad that we did not find any bullet shells, but happy that we got to see our first movie. 

That was the first time I had ever seen a movie on a big screen. I didn’t even know that the people in the movie were not real soldiers, but just actors. But that innocence was part of my childhood, which I consider to be the happiest time of my life. Nowadays, we can watch a film at any time, and today’s movies are much more colorful that what we watched in the park many years ago. Yes, we were innocent and a little ignorant, but we were much happier then. I hope that in the future, I can find true happiness once again!

Additional Comments – Sadly, some who are reading this blog are not able to look back on an “innocent” and fun childhood. By God’s grace, I grew up in a healthy family in which there was lots of love and, of course, fun. Once on a family hike in the mountains in Southern California, my little brother picked up a stick and asked our dad, “Dad, do sticks make noise?” Our father replied, “No son, sticks don’t make noise.” My brother took the stick and broke it in half which produced a loud “crack,” and then he said, “See dad, sticks make noise!” Such a wise little brother!

Now that we are older, we have come to realize that if we are not careful, “childhood innocence” can become “adult deception.” If we don’t properly process that which we think is true, the results can be disastrous. Haven’t we all, at one time or another, “condemned” someone, only to find out later that our “judgment” was based on false assumptions. We feel terrible about our false accusation, and then we need to face the truth and maybe even ask for forgiveness, if necessary. In every situation, the lies we believe hurt either ourselves or others, and usually both.

Sadly, there is someone in the spiritual realm who specializes in lying, and he confronts us each and every day. The Bible refers to him as “the devil.” Jesus called him “….a liar who speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). In that same verse, Jesus revealed another truth, calling him “…a murderer from the very beginning.” That is, when we believe his lies, they will eventually “kill” our hopes and dreams, and take us down a path of destruction, draining us of all joy and peace. 

Being a liar, the devil is the master of deception. He can take God’s plan and “dress up” another plan that looks much more appealing. After buying into this plan, we soon discover that it is leading us down a road that may be filled with many pleasures, but in the end, it is a road that leads to destruction. If you remember, this is what the Prodigal discovered. It was the “liar” who convinced him that his own plan to find happiness and fulfillment apart from his Father was a great plan, and we all know how that turned out. I think that each one of us can share our own stories of the “bad choices” we have made. The only way to return to the right path is repentance, that is, agreeing with God, that our own plan, which looked so good at the beginning, was actually a terrible plan. Like the Prodigal who chose to leave home, the “deceiver” can get the best of us too. 

Some people think that when the devil begins to whisper “lies” in our heads, we are to “flee from him.” But that’s not true. On the contrary, the Bible says, “…the devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. If we ‘resist’ him, he will flee from us” (1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7). We are not to “flee,” but “resist,” and we resist by learning to identify his “lies” when they appear in our minds. That’s why the real battle is waged between our ears! By God’s grace, we can learn to spot his lies when they show up and then confront them with the truth. If we do that, it’s the devil who will flee from us, not we from him!   

The key is to keep our minds focused on the One who loves us and wants the very best for us. The Bible says, “The mind focused on selfish and sinful desires is hostile toward God and will lead to destruction, but the mind that stays focused on God brings both life and peace” (Romans 8:5-8). If you and I want both “life” and “peace,” then let’s keep our minds focused on Him and upon those things that please Him. May He give each of us the grace to “stay focused.”