Introduction
Have you ever thought of your life as a movie? Imagine it—a grand story where you’re not just the star but also the writer. Every choice you make, every interaction you have, adds to the unfolding plot. The characters around you—your family, friends, strangers you meet—are not only writing their own stories, but affecting yours, just like you are affecting theirs. All of these narratives overlap.
But what if we took a step back and looked at the movie of life from a completely different perspective? Not from inside the movie, where we’re living it moment by moment, but from the perspective of Eternity. How would it change the way we see our lives, our relationships, and our purpose? Let’s take a look.
Time: Experiencing the Movie Frame by Frame
In our day-to-day lives, we experience reality like watching a film unfold on screen—frame by frame, second by second. It’s linear and immediate. The flow of time carries us forward as we make decisions, react to events, and interact with others. In this moment, we feel our free will. The choices we make are ours, shaping the story as it happens.
If you’ve ever played music, you know the importance of timing—hitting every note just right, locking in with the rhythm. I’m a drummer, so I know this firsthand. When my old bandmates and I recently got together to record a song using a digital audio workstation (DAW), every beat, every vocal line, every riff mattered. In that moment, we were fully immersed in the creative process. It’s a lot like living life in time.
Eternity: It’s in the Can
Now, imagine stepping out of the theater—or away from the music—and looking at the finished product as a whole. The movie, or the song, is complete. Every scene, every note, is already there. From this perspective, there’s no flow of time. Instead, everything exists all at once—the beginning, middle, and end.
This isn’t really a new concept. The idea aligns with Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and what he called the Block Universe. Einstein’s work posits that time is part of a four-dimensional continuum, where all moments—past, present, and future—exist simultaneously. Like a finished movie reel, the Block Universe suggests that every frame is already “there,” even if we’re only experiencing one frame at a time.
Just because we’re currently immersed in the process of watching (or making) the movie one frame at a time doesn’t mean the rest of the story isn’t real. In Eternity, the entirety of the film—the beginning, middle, and end—is already complete. But here in time, we are given the unique and beautiful gift of inhabiting the flow, experiencing and shaping the story moment by moment.
This duality—that all frames exist in Eternity while we experience them sequentially in time—can enrich our understanding. Every frame we live holds significance, and every choice reverberates throughout the eternal masterpiece. Far from diminishing the present, Eternity elevates it, reminding us that the story we’re living now is both fleeting in time and eternal in truth.
Let’s take a moment to reflect: How might this perspective—experiencing time as the unfolding of Eternity—reshape the way you approach your choices today?
Free Will in Time and Eternity
Now, just because the movie is complete from Eternity’s perspective doesn’t mean we aren't writing it. The story unfolds as it does because of the choices we make, freely and intentionally, within the flow of time. The end product reflects the decisions of every character in the movie.
Think of it like my band revisiting a performance. After the session, we tweaked the sound, adjusted the timing (I was the drummer, after all), and smoothed out an imperfection or two. The song may be polished and perfected, but it still reflects the essence of what we created in the moment.
Perhaps in the same way, the movie of life can be “redeemed” in Eternity—not by erasing what happened, but by transforming it. Just as a discordant note in a song can be woven into a richer harmony, God can take the broken or imperfect moments of our lives and make something beautiful out of them. From the eternal perspective, even the consequences of sin can be redeemed through grace, like scenes being reworked to fit seamlessly into a greater masterpiece.
And yet, it’s also true that God chooses to “forget” our sins, as if throwing them into the sea of forgetfulness. This doesn’t mean the movie is rewritten, but rather that its flaws no longer define it. In Eternity, the story becomes one of redemption—where every misstep is part of the larger narrative of grace, woven into a tapestry of beauty and restoration.
What do you think?Could the idea of redemption and grace reshape your view of the choices you make today?
Our Responsibilities to One Another
If we’re all in this movie together, and it’s part of Eternity, we owe it to one another to make it the best production we can. The relationships we build, the kindness we show, and the forgiveness we offer—these are the moments that make the story worthwhile.
And because every story overlaps, the ripple effect of our actions is inescapable. Every choice we make doesn’t just impact our own story; it shapes the stories of those around us. Imagine watching the completed movie from Eternity’s side and seeing how your choices—big or small—affected someone else’s journey. Would you be proud of the role you played?
Returning to the movie metaphor: What if your small act of kindness turned out to be the pivotal scene in someone else’s story? How might it change the way you approach today’s moments?
Just as our choices ripple across the stories of others, the interconnected nature of our lives points to something greater—an intricate design, a divine narrative that we are all part of. This shared story calls us to reflect not only on our responsibilities to one another but also on the One who authored the movie of life in the first place.
The Trinity: God in the Movie and Beyond
As we reflect on the divine narrative unfolding within and beyond the movie of life, the concept of the Trinity offers a unique lens to explore God’s presence in the story. Through the Trinity, we can see how God exists both outside time and within it, guiding us as we play our roles.
The Trinity offers a profound way to understand the movie and our role in it.
The Father: Exists outside the movie, seeing the entire reel—the beginning, middle, and end—while remaining outside of time’s flow.
The Son: Steps into the movie as a character, experiencing it frame by frame like us. Through His life, death, and resurrection, the Son becomes an active participant in the story, showing us how to live within it.
The Holy Spirit: Remains present in every frame, guiding, inspiring, and empowering us as we write our stories. The Spirit connects us, helping us bear with one another, create together, and strive for something greater than ourselves.
What do you think of looking at the Trinity like this? Does it help you see your part in the story of life more clearly?
Living the Movie, Stepping Into Eternity
So, what does all of this mean? It means that our choices matter. It means that the relationships we build, the kindness we show, and the burdens we bear for one another are part of something eternal. And it means that, even in Eternity, we don’t cease to be. Instead, we step outside the movie and experience it in its fullness—a masterpiece shaped by our free will, guided by grace, and woven together with the stories of others.
But even as these metaphors help us glimpse a deeper understanding of time, Eternity, and our place within it, the truth is almost certainly greater than anything we can imagine. It’s like trying to comprehend the vastness of the ocean by looking at a single drop of water—it’s enough to see something real, but it barely scratches the surface of what’s truly there.
For now, at least in this frame of the story, I’m holding on to five simple truths that help me stay grounded:
These truths are my anchor in the flow of time, guiding me through each frame of the movie. They remind me that, while I may not yet see the full reel in Eternity, I can live each moment here with purpose, love, and hope.
What about you? What truths ground you as you write your part in the movie? How are you shaping the story of your life and the lives of those around you? Let’s continue the conversation and explore this mystery together.