Looking for the light
If you have been a gamer or even just a person who plays the occasional video game, you probably have heard of this one game that has been making the rounds recently though it has been out for several years.
The Last of Us started out as a video game series that gained popularity rather quickly due to its gameplay and story driven narrative. The game focuses on not too distant dystopia of the world caused by a fungus (cordycep) that has infected millions of people causing them to turn into zombies. Now I know not everyone isn't into zombies or the undead, but bear with me for just a moment.While this game does involved zombies, at its core, it is survival and making the best out of a bad situation. This is where we meet our main characters of Joel and Ellie who embark on dangerous journey to produce a possible cure to stop the spread of the infection and perhaps save those who have already become infected.
One of the main characters, Joel, has been through a lot. In the first part of the game, he loses his only daughter and this would break any man, but it is what Joel decides to do with the situation is what counts. Unfortunately, through the years as the world has become increasingly worth and the number of infected people have risen, his heart has become hardened and has entered a me first, you second mentality. However, Joel says this one thing that stuck with me throughout my gameplay about a year ago and is the tagline of the game.
"When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light".
During the gameplay, you are mostly in area's where it is dark/dim. Likewise this is when most of the infected (zombies) are lurking as many of them are not out in broad daylight. But you can bet that I was certainly looking for the light in this game and it does have somewhat of a happy ending. But this rings true in our world today about looking for the light. We have poverty, darkness looming over us and with the state of the world it seems like there is no hope. But for those of us in Christ, there.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
-James 1:5
Jesus is the way, the truth and the light of the world. In every dark situation, there is always His light that we can find and should look towards. His light does not dim, is not overcome by the shadows or the enemy, it shines brightly and does now cower.
So many are lost in the darkness, searching for a light. Whether that be temporary pleasure from sex, alcohol, drugs, etc... it would never truly satisfy. We sometimes think we have found the light in someone or something , but it always turns out to be just a forgery of the original (and in this sense, we should desire the original). The light guides us and prepares us for what is ahead. In the physical sense, this is somewhat how the game operates. While the characters in The Last of Us are not particularly religious (far from it), they always are looking for the light (physical) in the darkness to keep pressing on.
So I ask you this question, are you looking towards the light in this world of present world of darkness?
*Note: For those interested, the game has been made into a series on HBO that I believe is a good replication of the game and at the time of this writing, the full first season is available now to watch.