"I delight to do Your will"

I recently finished viewing the first season of the TV show “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”  From its start to its season finale, I really enjoyed it.  Granted, the show isn’t without its flaws.

To give just one example, the writing does get rather incoherent at a particular juncture in the season.  At one point, my head was spinning because there was so much misdirection, paranoia, and suspicion of particular characters.  I actually got the feeling that the writers couldn’t decide who was supposed to the bad apples that had the evil ulterior motives, and who wasn’t.  However, these flaws notwithstanding, I submit that the positives far outweigh the negatives when it comes to “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

One of my favorite episodes of the first season is entitled “Yes men”.  It is called this because the main villain of the episode, a woman named Lorelei, threatens Earth.  Lorelei hails from Asgard (Thor’s home world; this show is set in the Marvel universe, so there are references to Thor, Captain America, Iron-Man, and the Avengers).  Lorelei possesses the power to bend any man to forsake their prior alliances and serve her, simply by touching them.  Another Asgardian named Lady Sif goes after Lorelei, in an attempt to stop her and return her to Asgard.

The Lorelei/Lady Sif scenes are particularly gripping.  In one scene, Lorelei taunts Sif by stating that Sif’s propensity to obey whatever her Asgardian master instructs hasn’t resulted in any personal benefit for her.  As an example, Lorelei points out that while she can have any man she wants, any man that Sif has desired hasn’t been reciprocated.  Sif wouldn’t dare give Lorelei the satisfaction of agreeing with her, but I got the sense that there was an element of truth to Lorelei’s accusation.  Ultimately, Lady Sif does defeat Lorelei and return her to Asgard to pay for her crimes.  Before leaving, the head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team asks Sif if this whole ordeal was difficult for her.  She simply responds, “Odin ordered her back alive.  As one of his warriors, I bow to his will.”

Lady Sif is one of my new heroes.  Her decision to submit her will, desires, and life to her master, Odin, is inspiring to me.  On a daily basis, Sif faces the decision to choose her way or the way of her master.  In the end, even if it isn’t always easy, she chooses to surrender her personal desires to the wisdom of her master.  As a Christian, I too know what it’s like to face the daily decision of choosing my way or God’s way.  I’m certainly not going to declare that I always decide to go God’s way, but like Lady Sif, I know that the best course of action is to choose to daily yield all my personal hopes, dreams, and plans to God.  With the confident assurance that God’s way is the best way.

Kevin

“I delight to do Your will, O my God” – Psalm 40:8 (NKJV)