Disney Plus’ newest Original series, Loki, gives us a look at the reasoning behind Loki’s actions and the expectations thrusted on him. The question becomes; does he have to live up to them. Do you?
This week on Geek Devotions, we are looking at Disney Plus’s new original series, Loki. This series takes place amid all the MCU’s End Game shenanigans. Amid the team attempting to obtain the different stones that make up the Infinity Gauntlet, Loki used the Tesseract to escape capture. Little did he realize that doing so upset the time stream, and the Time-Variant Authority captured him. They are tasked with maintaining the timeline, and Loki’s escape has upset things.
While under their charge, he is questioned about his history and asked several questions. He is pressured into answering a particular question; does he honestly enjoy hurting people? While being faced with his past and his future, he comes to a revelation. He doesn’t enjoy hurting others. Doing so is something he does because it’s expected of him. The identity of a mischievous villain had been given to him while he was discovering himself. Loki, like many others, is simply someone looking for validation, attention, and direction; but society didn’t really give him those things until he began to act out. But he has a greater purpose, one you see in later movies.
In life, there’s a lot of individuals who are doing the same. They are doing things simply because it’s expected of them. This goes on in a variety of ones. Some are doing great things. They are doing “Christian things,” but it’s simply because it’s expected of them. They haven’t actually owned their identity as followers of Jesus. They aren’t honestly listening for what God has for them; they are simply going through the motions. Some have gone the opposite way. They live a destructive lifestyle and will lead to ruin, simply because it’s what is expected of them by society. They don’t follow Christ or don’t want to, not because they honestly have issues with the Bible’s teachings but because society has told them it’s wrong. Let’s not kid ourselves; in 2021, in the United States, Christianity isn’t exactly looked upon favorably.
You don’t have to do “bad things” just because the world around you expects you to. At the same time, If you’re going to do “good things,” own it! Let it be part of who you really are. This is where we want to make a shift in the conversation and point you to the scriptures.
In Luke 1, we find the story of Zacharias. He was legitimately a good man. He was faithful in serving the Lord. He was doing what he needed to as was expected of him. But one day, the Lord had a challenge for him that went against the cultural norm. You see, Zacharias was supposed to name his son Zacharias. Now, this sounds silly to us in 2021, but back then, this was a big deal. Passing on your name was passing on heritage, responsabilities, and duty. But Zacharias was told to name his son John. This was such a serious thing that the Lord made Zacharias mute. People questioned the decision and pressured his wife to make sure the child’s name would be named Zacharias. When push came to shove, they asked him directly, “what will you name your child?” He took a tablet and stood on the word of the Lord rather than the traditions of man and wrote, “His name is John.”
The end result was a man who became a voice crying out in the wilderness. He became the man who pointed others to Jesus. He was a tool in the hand of God to change not just a generation but the world. This is the power of choosing to lean into what God has for you rather than falling in line with the expectations of othes; good bad or otherwise.