Cult Fiction

The first thing that I want to talk about is my favorite Boy Meets World episode, “Cult Fiction.” I first saw this episode at three in the morning, while both my roommates were at home over Labor Day weekend. By the end of the episode, I was crying my eyes out. There is one scene at the end that got me, and every time I watch that scene it still gets me. Not only do I feel sorry for Shawn Hunter, but I can relate to what he was going through, and what he says actually speaks to me.

Before I go into great details about that scene, I need to explain the episode. “Cult Fiction” is in the fourth season, and the episode focuses on Shawn Hunter. Now for those of you who don’t know, Shawn comes from a messed up background. He lives in a trailer park, his mom left him in middle school, and his dad left to go chase after his mom, leaving Shawn in the care of the Matthews. But during that time, Shawn was finding it difficult to stay there because they had such different ways of living that Shawn eventually ends up staying at Johnathan Turner’s house, who was a teacher of Shawn. Mr. Turner and Shawn became super close, and Mr. Turner cared for Shawn like a son.

The episode starts off with Turner asking Shawn what his plans for college were, because at this point Shawn was about to be a senior. Shawn blows him off, and after Turner leaves a classmate comes in to comfort Shawn, siding with Shawn in what went down between him and Turner. She leads him to “The Center” where he meets Mr. Mac, and Shawn is convinced that this is the place for him. The thing is that, as an audience member, we can obviously tell that this is bogus, and when we hear Shawn talk about joining "The Center", all his answers are scripted and his words are fake. But he feels like he is finally being filled by this place, and no matter how much the people who care for him protest, he still goes to “The Center” because he doesn’t want to feel empty anymore. At the end of the episode, Mr. Turner gets in a motorcycle accident and is in the hospital. Mr. Feeney and the Matthews go to the hospital, and Shawn shows up later with Mr. Mac.

Now all of us have felt empty at one point in our lives. We have all tried to fill the emptiness in many ways. It could be being the best in athletics, or the smartest in school. It could be trying to win the approval of your parents. It could be the most popular in school, or be known as the class clown.

Take some time to think of one thing that you try to use to fill yourself up with, and write it down. For me I rely on my grades to fill me, and when I don’t get the grade I want, I feel let down. And when things seem to be breaking in relationships between my friends or family, my grades don’t encourage me then. They leave me feeling high and dry.

Shawn tried to fill this emptiness, but when push came to shove, The Center, couldn’t help him with Mr. Turner being in the hospital. Cory and Topanga left Shawn alone in hospital room where Mr. Turner was. Alone in the room, what Shawn says next is my favorite, and it is what gets me every time. Below I have typed Shawn's monologue while he is in the hospital room.

“John how could you be in here. How could you screwed up on your bike. I have never seen you screw up on anything. I’m the screw up remember. Come on you remember.

Don’t do this to me John I don’t do alone to good. Look I know you’re in there, but it’s like you’re not really here. You’re not talking but I know you’re here. So I’m just gonna talk and you can listen.

John even when I was at the center. It was all the things you taught that made me wonder of it was the right place for me or not. But you didn’t teach me enough. You and Cory, and my parents, and the Matthews, and the handful of people who really care about me. So don’t blow me off John! Don’t blow me off God!

I never asked you for anything and I never wanted to come to you like this, but don’t take Turner away from me. He’s not done yelling at me yet.

God you’re not talking but I know you’re here. So I’m gonna talk and you can listen. God I don’t want to be empty inside anymore.”

This scene is so powerful in my opinion. The audience knows Shawn as being this confident, cool guy and watching him completely fall apart is powerful. But another thing that makes this powerful is the fact that he cries out to God. This is so powerful, because this wouldn’t be deemed a “Christian” show, but we have one of the main characters reach his breaking point and crying out to God. So than why do many Christians find is shameful to fall apart and cry out to God. Psalms 18:6 says, “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” Shawn was in distress, and he cried out to God, and he asked God not to take Turner away. God heard both of these request and answered them. Turner survived the crash, and he made a full recovery. God also heard Shawn’s cry to not be empty, and he filled him up. Shawn then went back to the waiting room, and Mr. Mac suggested that Shawn go back to the center, and Shawn agreed so that he can get his belongings and stay with the Matthews. When Mr. Mac try to refute, what Shawn responds with is amazing.

“You know I see you right in front of me and I hear what you have to say and it’s nothing. And if I was an empty person who didn’t have anything to believe in then I might go with you because that would be easy. Well I’m done with easy. I’m done with empty. I’m done with you.”

In this episode we see Shawn go from being empty and broken, to being filled with God. His life didn’t get any better, but he knew he wasn’t alone, and he was filled with something that could sustain him. He wasn’t going to take the easy way out, and he was going to work to be filled.

Now earlier, I asked you to think of something that you use to try to fill complete. If you think about, is that thing really making you feel complete, or is it leaving you empty when life gets hard. Are you just trying to take the easy way out, and bouncing back and forth between things that temporarily fill you up. Are you in a season of life, where everything is spinning out of control, and you feel so alone and empty? Then stop what you are doing and cry out to God. As I finished that episode at three in the morning, I dropped on my knees and cried out to God, I let everything that I have been keeping to myself out. And for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel empty, or just a wandering soul. God is there and he is waiting to hear you cry out to him. Don’t be ashamed of it, just go for it. Then afterwards when you feel filled by the Spirit, you can then turn to the things that have been leaving you empty and you can say, “Well I’m done with easy. I’m done with empty. I’m done with you.”

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for always being there and hearing my prayers. I know I chase after things in this world in hope that they will fill me, but they don’t. Only you can fill me. So Lord please fill me up right now because I am done with being empty inside. I know that you are good, and that you are there, and that you have a plan for my life. Lord I trust you, I follow you no matter how hard it is. I don’t want to take the easy way out, for it just leaves me empty. Thank you for filling me up with your love in every season Lord. Amen.