Man Motivation Message 3
Mind: Top Gun Maverick
"Don't think. Just do." - Great line from a great movie, but not a great way to live your life.
Yet it represents a pivotal moment in the movie for Maverick and the burden he's been carrying for years.
If you know Top Gun, you know the burden. If you don't, I'm about to ruin not one but two movie plots for you. Maverick's burden is the death of his best friend and co-pilot, Goose. In the first Top Gun movie, Maverick loses control of their aircraft in a training exercise, and they have to eject. Upon ejection, Goose hits the canopy of the F-14 and dies instantly. While it seems Maverick deals with his demons in the first movie, we find out it's the furthest thing from the truth years later.
Enter Top Gun: Maverick. Goose's son Rooster has grown up to become a top gun pilot. In a twist of fate, the two are brought together for a deadly mission. And we discover some bad blood between the two, not only due to Goose's death but because Maverick operated out of his wound and pulled Rooster's application to the Naval Academy. This move by Maverick cost Rooster four years of his career and bred more hatred.
This is where we find ourselves in the movie clip - Maverick and Rooster flee enemy territory in an old jet and get intercepted by two 5th-gen enemy fighters. And Maverick has to face his worst fear - not bringing his best friend's son home ok. The thought of his fear coming true paralyzes Maverick until Rooster says those words, "Don't think. Just do."
Those simple words let Maverick know Rooster is in it with him. He trusts him. And it's all Maverick needed to change his thinking and act upon it.
Isn't it like for you? Your mind is a battleground where "what if's" bombard you, regret lies in wait like a landmine, fear rolls around like a tank, and the lies of the enemy try to take you out like a skilled sniper. Maybe that was just this morning for you, or perhaps you are like Maverick and have been battling something haunting you most of your life.
Whatever it may be, God can set you free. His Word, followers, and Spirit speaking the truth of who and who's you are is like being rescued just when you thought the enemy was victorious. We would all love the switch to flip for us as it did for Maverick. While it certainly can, it also takes consistently hearing, believing, and acting in God's truth over you. Either way, he is the only one who can transform your life by renewing your mind. (Romans 12:2)
What would mean the world to you to hear from God?
Does thinking that God could say that to you bring up any fear or doubt?