My wife and I have developed somewhat of a ritual on Wednesday nights. After we have our family alter time and the children are prayed over and put to bed, we set up the computer, grab a snack, and watch NCIS. I know we are breaking major protocol in the SBC by not being in church on hump day. Sorry. When we started attending our current church, they did not have Wednesday night services. Anyhow, that is not why I am blogging. I am blogging because of what I read pertaining to Cote de Pablo who plays Ziva David in NCIS.
In the January 2011 edition of "Prevention," a holistic magazine that focuses on healthy living, Cote de Pablo gives a short interview giving readers a glimpse into her life. In this interview, we catch her vision of the divine.
When de Pablo was 21, she lost her grandmother to cancer. In her grandmothers last hours, a distraught Pablo gave God an ultimatum. Either God take her grandmother in twenty minutes or she would never believe in him again. Her grandmother died ten minutes later. Cote de Pablo credits this experience to her belief in a God.
From this point, it is not hard for her to move into some form of mysticism. Though she does not label herself any particular religion, nevertheless by description she leans to Eastern mysticism. She practices open flow Vinyasa [breathed synchronized yoga] with a personal teacher. She believes that her soul is in need of purification and that in order to be purified she must be reincarnated several times. The interviewer even assumed she might be Buddhist. To this assumption she expelled an answer that sounded very familiar to me.
"I don't label myself as anything. I have a lot of friends who don't believe in God. They say to me, 'How can you believe in God?' 'I go, "How can you not believe in God? I have moments where I've seen the majestic beauty in nature and the overwhelming perfection of it."' (Kate Hahn pg 102)
When I read this I had to stop and reread it again. Of course the first thing that came to my mind was Romans 1:19-20. God makes himself known to his creation through his creation. When I look around and see the grander of the Rocky Mountains or the valor of the Niagara Falls, I cannot help but wonder who or what is behind it all. This is especially so when I examine the complexities of the human body or the mind blowing intricacy of DNA. To this effect, de Pablo and I are on the same page. Yet, maybe we are on different sides of the same coin.
By God's grace, I can see the reality behind the creation. The sun shines gloriously and obediently in the sky. It shines gloriously because there is nothing like it, obediently because it points me to the one who made it and holds it all together; namely Christ (Hebrews 1:1-4; John 1). On this side of truth I have understanding.
Cote de Pablo however, has eyes to see yet she does not see. She knows that this world is too complex and extraordinary to have just evolved. She knows that something greater than herself is out there, yet she is blind to who it is. The next couple of verses in Romans explain her current condition.
"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." (Romans 1:21-23)
In the last part of the article de Pablo acknowledges that there is a "very big God out there." And she is doing everything in her mind to acknowledge him. The problem is that her thinking is futile and her heart is darkened. Because her heart is darkened, so are her eyes. The light of the gospel of Jesus Christ has not enlightened her to see the truth she is seeking. Instead, she is exchanging the glory of God for the things of this world. This is the epitome of sin. Further on in Romans, condemnation is pronounced for those who continue in this state (Romans 3, 5, 6, 8).
It was interesting for me to experience this verse in this context. Typically I read the verse and imagine some half naked guy with a spear and an exotic head dressing dancing around a fire on the other side of the world. This time God has opened my eyes to see that people in my general circle think this way. (I'm not saying that Cote de Pablo and I hang out or anything. I'm just saying that she is someone I recognize and have somewhat of a connection too.) I've known this for some time. But I have not really let the reality of it sink in. It was more of an abstract thought. In this light, she has helped me see the kingdom of God more clearly. Ironic isn't it?
My hope for Cote de Pablo is that she will receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was once no different than she. I was blind and lost. I wondered from one so called truth to the next. It was not until the Father seized my heart and poured out his love on me. Once I tasted the sweetness of His grace, there was no other fountain I wanted to drink. It was this drink that healed my heart and therefore healed my eyes.
