Seeds Planted: Helpful Metaphors for Fathers Blog Series #4: Death Star

This is the final post in a four-part series, Seeds Planted: Helpful Metaphors for Fathers. We’re exploring four metaphors we can use to convey ideas to our children that are well received and easily recalled. This one I like to call, “The Death Star”, which will help intentional fathers, like yourself, warn your kids about temptation in this world.

If you haven’t seen Star Wars, first, where in the world have you been the last four decades!? But just because I like you young padawan, I’ll sum-up a scene so you can understand this post.

The original 1977 movie featured a scene involving The Death Star (= bad guy HQ). Han Solo was piloting the Millenium Falcon (= good guy spaceship), and while chasing an enemy fighter, he came too close to the Death Star. Turns out, the Death Star had this invisible “tractor beam” (= galactic magnet).

His ship and its galaxy-saving passengers became ensnared by the tractor beam. They were pulled against their will into the huge planet-killing space station. Once they were within the tractor beam’s power, they were helpless. “There’s nothin’ I can do about it, kid…I’m going to have to shut down…”

A few things about the tractor beam:

Invisible: Han Solo couldn’t see it
Unknown: He didn’t know about it in advance
Powerful: Han couldn’t fight it – even a ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs (!) couldn’t outrun it
Pervasive: By the time Han knew it existed, he was already captured by it

There are a few things that I like to compare to the Death Star for my boys:

Music
Friends
Sex
Alcohol
The Internet

Make the connection and warn your kids about temptation.

I frame it up like this:

“Some things in life are like the Death Star’s tractor beam. Get too close, and they draw you in. Your willpower is no match once you’re within the magnetic pull. Things like sexual temptation and alcohol can grab you and destroy you. Even bad friends, the internet or questionable music can do this too. They can be so attractive that by the time you realize you’re being influenced, it’s too late to pull back.”

Although, he may say, “But Han made it! He survived, and not only that, in the end they blew up the stupid Death Star!”

Your reply, “Yes son, but Han put many people – and the entire mission at risk. Not only that, in the end, he needed a Jedi to sacrificially venture into the belly of the beast and Luke Skywalker to sharp-shoot them to victory. Now, if you have a Jedi friend who can disable the enemy’s defenses, and another buddy who can fire a proton torpedo into a hole the size of a bushel basket while racing an X-wing pulling 3,700 G’s, be my guest.”

Or, a safer play would be, “It’s the movies, son. Real life doesn’t work like that.”

As a Christian father, you know that God has the power to rescue you from anything. He specializes in redemption and covers all our sins with grace. Having said that, I think we’re wise to help our sons learn biblical manhood and know there are some things out there which can exert strong power over them. So, we must help them steer clear of enemy territory.

Now, go and disciple your son, may the force (of God’s Holy Spirit) be with you! 1 Peter 5:10-11