I wanted to share what I wrote after seeing the movie Divergent in theaters. I watched it again last night and it fanned the flame in my heart and inspired me to share with all of you! When it first came out, I had not read the books, and really wasn’t sure exactly what the plot of the movie was, but something caught my attention in the previews and I knew it was one I wanted to see.
The definition of the word “diverge” is as follows:
di·verge
verb (used without object), di·verged, di·verg·ing.1. to move, lie, or extend in different directions from a common point; branch off.2. to differ in opinion, character, form, etc.; deviate.3. Mathematics . (of a sequence, series, etc.) to have no unique limit; to have infinity as a limit.4. to turn aside or deviate, as from a path, practice, or plan.
5. to deflect or turn aside.
The main concept of the movie is that everyone is naturally inclined to belong to one of the factions. A faction is defined as: a group or clique within a larger group, party, government, organization, or the like.
Each person at a certain age is given a test that determines which faction they belong to, and then they have a chance to make a choice as to which faction they will permanently belong to, even if it wasn’t the one that the test revealed. There are a few people, rare in number, that they call “divergents” who actually are a combination of all of the factions and so they do not conform to the ways of acting or thinking of just one of the groups.
Throughout the whole movie I was energized. I realized that this concept is much like that of the world we live in.
Culture says if you act a certain way or have a certain strength or talent, that means you are x. People are constantly trying to put themselves or others in a box and say, “well they are this so that must mean they are that.”
For example, if someone is pretty quiet most of the time, people will label them as “weird”. If someone gets “extra” excited about science or math they are considered a “nerd.” If they are overly aggressive they are considered a “bully.” This list could continue until the end of time, and gets more complicated as more character traits are revealed about a person.
As I was watching the movie, naturally trying to figure out which of the 5 factions I would belong to if this were a true occurrence in our world, I came to conclude that I would be a Divergent.
I do not fit in a box, nor do my thinking and/or actions 100% align with any of the 5 descriptions all of the time.
There are times where I am selfless and put people before my own needs and desires (abnegation).
There are times where I am bold and courageous and willing to stand up against something I believe to be wrong (dauntless).
There are times where I am peaceful and do whatever I need to do in order to refrain from upheaval (amity).
There are also times that I am completely blunt, honest and say what needs to be said and absolutely believe the answers are in black and white (candor).
There are times, too, that I pursue knowledge and am serious and focused on what is going on and needs to be done (erudite).
I truly believe if we look at all of these things in a real perspective, we can see that God has created us to be ALL of these things.
We are all divergent. Whether or not all of these character traits and qualities are strong in each of us is what makes the difference. Also, we have to remember that all of these things make themselves evident in a variety of ways. Some people will be dauntless in their pursuit of justice while others may be dauntless in their pursuit of getting things done. This can be said for all of these “factions”.
I truly believe that if we pursue God, He can open up all of the facets of our character and personality that are lying underneath fears, insecurities, rebellion, pride, anger and other forms of brokenness.
The more we focus on Him and let Him renew our minds, we can be peaceful, fearless, morally sound, intelligent and selfless! We can be all of these things because God is all of these things!
Culture and society try to put everything in a box and condemn those who push the limits and boundaries. We should be pushing those boundaries every day. We do not fit in a box and God, the Creator of all the universe, does not fit or work in a box. Just because I fit in any given category does not mean that it is all that I am and should be.
FIGHT TO BE MORE!
FIGHT TO BE UNIQUE AND EMBRACE ALL THE GOODNESS THAT IS WITHIN YOU! PUSH THE LIMITS!
PUSH THE BOUNDARIES!
GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND REALIZE THAT THROUGH CHRIST, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
