That's So Jesus

Yes, I admit, this post’s title sounds like a cheesy youth group sermon from the mid-2000’s, but please bear with me.

Several weeks ago, I was on Disney Plus, and I wound up watching the first episode of That’s So Raven. I remember watching some episodes when it first came out, and even though I didn’t follow the series closely, I always liked the cleverness behind the series’ episode formula.

To the uninitiated, That’s So Raven is a Disney Channel original series that ran from 2003 to 2007. It follows the title character Raven, a high schooler and psychic. Of course, her psychic “powers” aren’t very realistic or useful. 

This supernatural plot point provides a very uniform episode structure. Each episode starts with Raven going about her regular life, then suddenly she has a vision of the future. Each vision shows her only a short scene, and she’s given no context. She spends the entire episode obsessing over the vision, either trying to avoid it or fulfill it, but in the end the vision always happens exactly how she saw it—but never in the way she expected it to come true.

Even though I never got super into the show, in the episodes I watched I really appreciated the comedic timing of the visions being fulfilled. The context created awkward situations for Raven and her friends—and most of the time, everything would’ve been fine had she not overreacted to her visions.

So, with these positive feelings towards the show, I watched the first episode, which was fun and silly, per Disney Channel’s usual protocol. I also got to thinking about it, thinking about how there are some important lessons we can glean from this silly, seemingly-pointless television show.

Lesson One—The Importance of Context

Now, let’s forget that psychic visions in my understanding do not work at all like they did for Raven—and even if they do, psychics and anything in the realm of the supernatural not related to God are inherently dangerous and not wise to dabble in. For the record, I do not trust or believe any true psychics, and I will assume them to be either con artists or severely demonized.

That being said, let’s pretend one could actually see the future like Raven does on the show. If that ability were true, and if you were given the option to see visions of the future like that, would you want such an ability?

I’d venture to guess most people would be tempted by such an offer. The future is scary and uncertain; who wouldn’t want an early taste every now and again, if only to soften the blow of the inevitable?

But Raven’s biggest problem isn’t knowing or not knowing the future; her biggest problem lies in her lack of context for the future she sees.

Since the average person doesn’t have clairvoyant powers, it can be easy to shrug this problem off like it’s not relatable, but it is.

How often do we make assumptions about people or situations? How often do we jump to the worst conclusions based on limited information?

The lesson is this: Don’t react impulsively to limited information!

Context is important for every aspect of life. We need historical context to read and interpret the Bible and other pieces of ancient literature. We need the context of grammar, syntax, punctuation, diction, denotations, and connotations to make sense of any writing or any language at all!

Context is the foundation of facts, the bed on which knowledge lays, yet too often we see something confusing and jump to the most extreme inferences.

Raven reminds us to relax and breathe, because the ultimate context comes down to an understanding of the things beyond our control.

Lesson Two—The Limitedness of Mankind

We are not God! None of us are truly in control of life, and we shouldn’t act like we are invincible or omnipotent.

Of course, most people say they don’t believe themselves to be all powerful or invulnerable, but actions tell a different story.

All it took was a prophecy from a group of witches for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to be driven mad with ambition and manipulation. Any perceived threat can lead a sensible man down a dark path. After all, the finite nature of man is part of the context we try to ignore.

Think back to the Taken trilogy. 

Why did everyone like Taken? Audiences were enamored with Liam Neeson’s skillful character recklessly killing all the villains in his pursuit to save is daughter. We cheered for this vigilante justice, cheered for this seemingly invincible man who’d stop at nothing to get his daughter and get revenge on her abductors, not concerned with leaving a pile of bodies in his wake.

It’s a wonderful, invigorating story, but what do we get with the sequels? Context.

In Taken 2, we learn that Neeson’s Bryan Mills didn’t just kill bad people and get away with it. Actually, those bad people had families, and those families wanted revenge on him, which put him and his entire family back in danger.

In context, humans are not all-powerful, and no matter how clever or manipulative, we don’t always get our way. 

And the last piece of context needed for us to truly accept this fact lies in the one who is all powerful.

Lesson Three—The Limitlessness of God

Yes, God—the infinite, omnipotent King—is the ultimate context of all life.

He is the source. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, who was, is, and is to come. He made all, sees all, and knows all.

Like Raven, we all have to make decisions based on the information we’re given. But like an incomplete, out of context vision of the future, our information is woefully incomplete if we’re not seeing it through the context of God and His presence.

God finishes the puzzle. God makes sense of the senseless, bringing order to chaos, completion and healing to brokenness.

If you’re worldview doesn’t account for the hand of God, you are operating on incomplete information. 

The goodness of God, the corruption of man, and the gospel of Jesus that provides for reconciliation between God and man are the ultimate context that everything points to or flows from.

I say this not to oversimplify your issues. You may very well be confused by life. However, in context, confusion is okay because it reminds us of our limits and leads us back to the one we can truly trust.

So, next time you find yourself in a seemingly hopeless situation, don’t over-react; seek context and act accordingly.

When you do, you’ll find the clarity you need—the clarity not to see past or avoid the fog, but to put your faith, trust, and hope in the one who made the fog.