Seeing Signs

It’s late August and the corn fields are growing tall here in our corner of southeastern Pennsylvania. They remind me of a favorite movie, Signs, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I love the suspense, cinematography, soundtrack, and the way it was filmed in locations surrounding Philadelphia, like many of his other movies. If you’re from the area, you probably know that filming took place very close to home in Bucks County. Several scenes were filmed in the quaint town where we often go for dinner, ice cream and to visit other businesses. The movie’s family farm was located in the cornfields of a private university just a couple of miles away from where my husband grew up. These local spots make the movie seem eerily familiar and personal for me, adding to its charm.

I love the film’s nerdy artistic details: various significant symbols are featured such as patterns of circles and stars found in decorative motifs of the main character’s house; themes of home and doorways are used to contrast comfort and safety versus exposure and invasion; the palpable current of nightmarish surrealism, such as a jarring scene where the main character casually reminisces while boarding up windows and doors to block out imminent danger.

But my favorite thing about the movie is the central conflict which explores how we explain life, death, our purpose and meaning. What kind of lens are we looking through to explain the world and how do we interpret our circumstances? Are they merely random, unexplained coincidences, or signs of God working in our lives? The main character, Graham, is dealing with an existential crisis and asks, “What kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?”

If you haven’t seen the movie, there may be some spoilers ahead. We learn that Graham is struggling with grief after the death of his wife. He is angry at God and has abandoned his faith, walking away from his life as a clergyman. As strange events occur and reports of an alien invasion gain momentum, he initially assumes there are common sense explanations. But as the situation grows more dire, he lashes out with bitter hatred toward God, and we learn how his family resents his failing leadership and rejection of faith.

As the story progresses, there is a key point when various plot streams coalesce, culminating in my favorite scene – a flashback to something his wife said: “Tell Graham… see. Tell him to see. And tell Merrill to swing away.” Here the movie’s central dilemma is cleverly solved both metaphorically and literally: back in the present Graham has a revelation, finally comprehending that what previously seemed like random details and events, were actually happening for a reason. He interprets his wife’s words as instructions and signs from a higher power, which help him defeat the danger. This epiphany also helps him “see” past his anger and doubts so that he can victoriously reclaim his faith. His wife’s death serves a purpose, giving meaning to the family’s grief.

I appreciate how the movie handles the way traumatic events and suffering can shake up our worldview and cause us to wrestle with doubt and meaning. At first Graham struggles to reconcile a loving God with one who could allow the senseless death of his wife. He rejects his faith because he is angry at God. But it’s incongruous to be mad at something that you don’t believe in, and the movie confronts this logical problem. Despite choosing to disbelieve in the possibility that something greater was at work, the signs were still there.

We have a variety of evidence for the existence of God, including significant historical evidence for Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. If a miraculous resurrection from the dead does not qualify as good evidence, what does? In other words, the signs are there, but people choose not to see them. Scripture addresses this:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:19-20, ESV).

While miracles are compelling evidence, so are philosophy, reason, morality, nature, beauty, conscience, etc. Our faith in God is not illogical wishful thinking but something we can have confidence in, because we have good evidence to believe it is true:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

What is the lesson here? Although miracles can demonstrate God’s power and inspire belief, some will still choose not to believe. As Christians we have good reasons to believe, but we also fight a daily spiritual battle which includes dealing with doubt; we need to be armed with the word of God and put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-19). Consider that God may even purposefully allow doubt so that we can go to him in prayer, asking “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). We can trust that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

Dear Lord, thank You for how You intervene in our lives and are sovereignly at work for our ultimate good. Help us strengthen our faith. Amen.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).