Psalm 119:92 Continuity

From The Hunger Games Goofs on imdb.com:

During the Reaping, when Katniss yells, "I VOLUNTEER!" her hair is messed up and ruffled, however, when she states "I volunteer as tribute," her hair is combed again.

Despite the best efforts of the Continuity Editors, nearly every movie or TV show has small goofs, or continuity errors. Such things happen because film directors usually don't film the scenes in chronological order, and often do numerous takes of the same scene. After several takes, a makeup artist will step in an make sure the actors are still looking good, but the don't always make sure the are still looking exactly the same.

There's a famous flub that took place during the filming of Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, where a young boy among the extras is seen putting his fingers in his ears right before a gunshot. Apparently he had sat there through several takes of the scene and was tired of the loud noise, and the editors either didn't catch the goof or they didn't think anyone would notice. They did.

Such continuity errors don't really have an impact on whether people enjoy a movie, because most viewers aren't paying that much attention. But I've seen some movies where the errors made the movie hard for me to enjoy.

Some of the highest grossing films of the past few years have been the Star Wars sequels. Several fans noticed details that caused those movies to just not hold together. They found the story unbelievable because of the errors.

Others scoff at the notion that a Star Wars movie is in some way rendered "unbelievable", since the movie is based on unbelievable concepts like the Force, sentient droids, and a death star. But if the presentation of the death star, for example, doesn't mesh with basic scientific facts, it renders the internal believability of the entire construct to fall apart.

Film editors call this verisimilitude: "the quality of fictional representation that allows reader or viewers to accept a constructed world." (The Film Experience: An Introduction)

If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.

Psalm 119:92

In God's story, the story of the Word and the world, He has set up certain rules by which things work to maintain continuity. These  include rules about gravity, climate, and biology.

He's also set up rules for behavior, psychology, and community., along with rules for righteousness, justice, and holiness. These rules are called the Law, which we read about in the scriptures.

Sometimes life gets messed up, usually because people aren't following the script. We tend to be too lackadaisical about making sure there's a continuity between our lives and God's construct of how the world is supposed to operate. A large percentage of suffering and affliction is due to a breakdown of the continuity of our part in God's story.

The only sure way to get yourself back in synch with God's script is to stop treating the details of His Law like they're no big deal. When people cut corners on the Law, it's not a goof or a flub. It's a continuity error that has the potential to unravel your entire connection to God's plan.

As  David says, the best way to fit yourself back into synch is to delight in the Law. eagerly play the role God has assigned you.

Hit your marks, know your lines, and shine before the watching world.