The Burn

“So, what did you think?” Janna asked. The credits of Catch Me if You Can continued to roll on the TV screen as she reached for the last slice of cold pizza. “That was a good one,” Tim answered. “I can’t believe I’ve never seen that movie—and that it’s a true story—and that I got it confused with Mission Impossible.” “You’re impossible,” she shot back. “I mean the idea that a guy could lead so many different lives—imagine the confidence that guy had.” “Well, being narcissistic and having confidence are not always the same thing,” she countered. “Even so. I’ve felt like the biggest imposter over the past few weeks in my new job—and I wasn’t even pretending to be someone else. It does kind of suck, though, that instead of being punished, Abagnale just landed a sweet job with the FBI. Where’s the life lesson there?” Janna shrugged. “Maybe the lesson is that if you’re valuable enough, you can get away with stuff the rest of us can’t.” “That’s a crap lesson.” She swallowed the last of her pizza. “Yeah, I guess it kind of is. Still a great story, though.” Tim stretched and put his arm around her. “It’s crazy to imagine how our decisions—even the little ones—can have such a huge impact on the rest of our lives. Like, where would I be if I’d stayed in construction after high school instead of listening to my mom and going to college. Would I have even met you?” Janna looked thoughtful, as only one does when contemplating something beyond the bounds of the human mind. “I dunno,” she said. “I kind of think God brings us to where he wants us regardless of our choices.” “What if I’d made a different decision—at work, I mean?” Tim asked. “Would God still have let me end up with you?” “If he really wanted us together, then I guess so … although the journey there would probably look a lot different.” She chewed her lip as she stared at the now blank television screen. “I know he even uses bad things for good. Maybe that’s part of him using our mistakes to still call us to him.” “Why not just force us to take the path he wants?” “Maybe he forces some paths, but I don’t really think he forces everything. If he did, then he might as well make us all robots that only do what’s right.” She cocked her head and looked at him. “There has to be at least some free will so that we can choose or reject him. Without that freedom, true love can’t exist.” “This is some weird Matrix stuff,” Tim said, trying to lighten the conversation. “Now there’s a good movie if you haven’t seen it.” “Everybody’s seen The Matrix,” she replied. “Anyway, all I can really trust is that it all works out in the end, right? Like, if I hadn’t moved all the way out here from Iowa only to get dumped by my fickle fiancée, then I never would’ve met you. That’s what scares me.” Tim suddenly hugged her as though she might vanish into thin air. “It is scary. It’s like everything we know hangs on the thread of the smallest decision.” Janna reached around his chest and pressed his face into her head with her palm. “I don’t know what God’s plan is, but I get the feeling he woulda brought us together no matter what.” Tim continued to hold her. What difference does it make to God if we’re happy? he wondered. He was familiar enough with the Bible to know that simply living a good life wasn’t the same as living out his faith, but he knew little of God’s nature. Sure, God is perfect—whatever that means—and that he loves us—in some way, at least. How all that translated into God directing Tim’s steps, he did not know.