Trust

by Rev Rachel Marvin-Borger 

Take to social media and you may find plenty of videos poking fun at the plot holes and inconsistencies that plague the Stranger Things universe. There was one scene in Stranger Things Season Five Episode Three [spoilers ahead] that had me indignant. One depiction that shook my faith in the credibility of the story. A moment when I protested a character’s actions-- not because I resented their choice, but because I couldn't believe it. 

That moment was Holly’s response to the map and message in the mailbox. 

A brief summary of the events leading up to that point: Henry-- the villain-- ingratiated himself to several young children in the town of Hawkins and gained their trust. He did this in order to eventually abduct them and use them as conduits in his big evil scheme. Once he is ready, he brings the children’s consciousness to a kind of in-between reality. Holly is the first of the children whom he introduces to this world, with promises that she will be safe here and that her loved ones will join them shortly. He presents to her a large home to enjoy and explore, giving but one prohibition: do not go into the woods. There are monsters in the woods. 

But following a thorough inspection and exploration of the house, Holly hears a few knocks at the door. When the noise subsides and the shadowy figure on the other side of the glass disappears, Holly looks outside and notices the erect red flag on the mailbox. Inside it she finds a compass, a message, and a map. The message is from Henry, asking her to meet him at a spot indicated on the map-- a spot well inside of the woods. Holly is torn. After thinking it over,  she decides to act in the manner she equates with Heroic Holly, the character she wears on her necklace. She ignores not just Henry's firm instructions, but his warning. She disregards what she knows to have been Henry’s instructions in order to comply with a message whose origins are suspect. She is not merely disobedient here, but also cavalier and reckless. 

This behavior lies outside the bounds of believability. Why would Holly put her trust in the writer of the note? She has reasons and history and promises behind her trust of flesh-and-blood Henry-- Henry who impressed, “You must never, under any circumstance, go into the woods.” And yet we are asked to believe that the gravity of Henry's mandate was somehow less influential than a mysterious map and less pressing than the request to meet him.

So I don't buy it-- and I don't buy it because of trust. Why would Holly trust in the unknown writer of the note more than in her experience with a physically present Henry? 

We, like Holly, have options when it comes to trust. I doubt the likelihood of Holly's decision. But it is true that people must decide whom to trust, and which factors will contribute to their decision. Like Holly, we have to weigh contradictory information-- information that points us in opposite directions, all claiming to represent the same entity. 

So many voices in the public consciousness are presenting us with contradictory information, instructing us in what to say and do, all claiming to represent God. Whom can we trust to represent God well? 

God revealed Godself to the world in God's child, Jesus. We know God's character and priorities through Jesus. We recognize who is speaking for God when we see who is loving like Jesus. (This is also how disciples of Jesus will be recognized: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another “ John 13:35)

Whom do you trust? When it comes to whom we trust to guide us, lead us, shape us, influence us, the consequences are dire. Will the choices we make lead us further along the right path? Can we safely trust in the voices we choose to follow and believe? We should evaluate the influence others have on us by asking how their behaviors line up with Jesus’ way. We can trust in the simple direction that Jesus iterated to guide us and order our lives: Love God. Love others. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit him and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:4-6)