Jesus is my Edward

2009-10-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you are at least aware (if not a totally obsessed fan yourself) of the ginormous buzz surrounding Stephenie Meyer's debut Novels The Twilight Saga. The enormously popular young adult books have sold over 70 million copies world-wide and have been translated into 37 different languages. Book number one, Twilight was released as a major motion picture in 2008. Book number 2, New Moon is scheduled to be released next month, with book number 3, Eclipse, set to be in theaters Summer 2010. So then I guess that means you would have to live under a rock under the ground in a cave under 30 feet of snow if you have no clue what I'm talking about.

Right away I realized how much of The Twilight Saga illustrates both Jesus and his love for us. Throughout the duration of this blog I will explore this amazing series with you discussing its connections to the greatest story ever told along the way.

I am a self-proclaimed Twilighter, Twihard, whatever your word of choice. I read all four books of this amazing saga in 6 days, quite a feat when you have a husband in the Navy and a 14 month old child. I too was captivated by all the buzz that surrounded the book. So, when I made a trip to the mall and saw that it was soon becoming a movie, I jumped at the excuse to read the "teeny bopper" books. By the way, thank you Chyenne for first exposing me to the Twilight Universe. Much to my surprise, Twilight was not the "teeny bopper" high school love story drama that I was expecting. The story fascinated me from beginning to end and I could not put it down. I stopped reading only to sleep, which I did very little of, and feed my baby, which I am embarrassed to say was a chore those six days of Twilight. When I read the last words of book one I immediately picked up book two and so on and so on until I was finished. Alas, when I saw "The End" I was a little sad that the story was over. I had just spent the most wonderful 6 days in Forks, Washington and realizing that my mini-imaginary-vacation had ended was a bit sad. To date I have read the entire saga three times.

The large, extreme following the Twilight Saga and brilliant Mrs. Meyer have acquired is comprised of a very dedicated group of fans who range in all ages and all sexes. There are no bounds to who has been and who can be touched by this awesome story of friendship, love, and what a person will do to save them both.

Twilight explores the crazy, inexplicable love between the protagonist, clumsy and very human, Bella, her Vampire boyfriend Edward and all problems inherent with their relationship. For most of his 108 years, Edward has searched for a mate he could spend forever with as his "father" and "siblings" have. When he finally realizes that he has found exactly this, he is torn between the love he has longed for for nearly a century and the undeniable truth that he should not be with her.

In the series it is explained by Edward that when a Vampire falls in love, there is a permanent shift inside making the change irreversible and undeniable. Meyer created him to be a very compassionate, thoughtful, romantic character leading millions of readers to instantly join Team Edward. This very trait is also Edwards biggest flaw. He loves Bella so intensely that it leads him to be irrational and overprotective at times. For lack of a better cliche, he is blinded by love. =D

With little exception The Twilight Saga is written in first person narrative from Bella's perspective.* Meyer tells such a great story that when reading through the series, it is easy to give yourself over to the novel and really become Bella. No matter what a person's situation in life at the time, they can step into Bella's shoes, have her eyes, ears, thoughts, emotions and can feel the incredible amount of love that is directed towards her. With this in mind it is quite easy to see why most fans of these books read them more than once. In the words of Keith Urban, "Everybody needs somebody sometimes."

All you need is love. Love is all you need. I can't live without your love. I would do anything for love. All of these lyrics lie within the melodies of outrageously popular songs. From the Beatles to Meatloaf, artists always have and always will continue to sing about love. It is the most raw and instinctual emotion the human body is capable of feeling and there is an innate need inside of us to love and be loved. We all want to feel loved the way that Edward loves Bella. But, unfortunately, Twilight is fiction and like all good books, it must eventually come to an end. We slowly close the cover, put down the book and realize that we are not Bella and there is no Edward. We long so much to again feel that love that we pick the book back up and start over (or just watch the movie again).

In reality, that deep a love can only be found in one place and that place is Jesus. Jesus IS my Edward. And the best part is that he doesn't only love Bella. He loves all of us, and with even more intensity than Edward has for her. Jesus Christ gave his life, accepting upon himself the sins of the world, so that we may have life in Heaven. John 15:13 says "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." And Psalm 103 tells us "for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

A relationship with Jesus allows you to feel dazzled everyday. He is with you always and not just while you're reading a book. If you lack this personal relationship with Jesus and you find yourself yearning for this kind of love, becoming a child of God is so simple. He will not turn you away because of how you dress, what you look like, or what you might have done before you knew him.

*There is a section in Breaking Dawn that is written from the perspective of Jacob.

"Dazzled" by Jesus

Jesus is my Edward