In 1998 HBO put out a controversial, provocative, cutting edge, fun, funnyand sociological show called Sex and the City. This show ran until 2004 and throughout its six seasons the viewer and fans of it watched and journeyed with the four main characters of Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbs, Samantha Jones, and Charlotte York as these women and friends went through everything together and did life together. I think for me why I liked the show so much are for a few reasons. For one thing in 2006 when I discovered this show I very much related and connected to Charlotte York’s character due to, at the time, the recents events of my own life. Also my undergraduate background is sociology and the show explores, examines and presents many sociological perspective on a numerous topics in our culture.
Another reason for my love of this show from 2007 to 2017 I lived in New Hampshire which was 26 hours away from most of my friends and I lived vicariously through these four characters as women and friends. For me the best part of this show and the reason why I enjoy it so much is that in the show and when watching the show one sees 4 women who are all friends and yet each of the characters are totally different and unique individuals from all walks of life, backgrounds, with different perspectives and all on their own journey. Each of these unique and different women come together through the common ground of their friendship. The sociologist in me sees the parallels of this show and these four characters to life and the Christian walk and faith.
As you sit here and read this you are probably thinking just a second now hold on how could these four characters from a show on HBO have any common ground or parallel our faith. The answer can be found into two things first of all the answer is found one’s understanding of the make up of each of these characters and women. Its in our understanding of these women and friends that we can also see the journey that may lead someone to the Fatih and the first place. Moreover the journey that leads one to the faith often influences their own journey and walk of faith. The character Carrie Bradshaw is a columnist/ writer and she very witty and creative and has great fashion sense. It might could be said she and her journey is more of a bit of a free spirt and some what of a bohemian type.
In the show as you follow Carrie’s journey the viewer see her quest for true love. A case could be mad that Carrie is a person that is a seeker and on a quest and on her quest she may try all things and options before finding what she ultimately seeks. At the end of the show and her journey she finds comes to the end of her quest and finds what she seemed all along. Once she has reached the end of her quest and discovered what she was seeking she holds to it for dear life and never to let go again. It could be said that Carrie is true to the course and the quest. Once she finds what she seeks she is steadfast and never forsakes what she has discovered and found at the end of her journey. The parallel would be that as individuals some seek and go on a quest for the truth, the true answer, the one true faith and once they find it they hold to it for dear life, never to forsake or stray from their new found faith and belief in Jesus Christ.
I must confess that Miranda’s journey and point of view is so very much me to a tee I’m so similar to Miranda and I’ve even got the natural red hair to boot. Miranda in her journey is more like not so free spirit, very planned, rigid, and methodical. Miranda is also very Type A, perfectionist, OCD, logical, tough love and pragmatic. Professionally this makes sense she is an attorney. Miranda is of the point of view of skeptical she wants to be shown the evidence and prof. Although is a skeptic and wants to be shown the evidence once it has been proven to her she will move heaven and earth and not look back to stand on her belief and convictions.
In looking at the journey of Samantha she is the type of character and person that knows what she wants and goes for it and won’t settle either. Samatha is unsure if she believes and is more of the school of thought of taking and looking gout for self. If she is to consider any belief system she feels as if one should try all options before buying into to one particular system of beliefs. In her journey of trial and error once she has tested all these options and will come to conclusion that will be her choice of a brief system. This journey of trial and error that she has traveled has taken to the path of true Fatih and but only trail and error. Once she has discovered and reach the conclusion of believing and holding to the one true faith of Jesus Christ this is now what she now wants and she goes all in and all the way on this new journey of faith.
As Charlotte York travels on her own journey she is more from the point of view of being an optimistic and a true believer. Charlotte in the show never lost hope in true love and that she could find true love. Despite Charlotte’s struggles challenges and times in the valleys never wavered and lost the faith in her desire for true love and that she would find it. This is just as true for the believer traveling on their now faith journey. Once one has found the true answer of Jesus Christ and chosen the one true faith he or she never wavers in this belief in this one and true faith. They never forsake their beliefs, faith and convictions. That is not to say that there aren’t moments, days and seasons in the valleys as one travel along their journey of Fatih but just because they may walk in the valleys that doesn’t mean that at the core their belief, faith and convictions have to be shaken or waver. In fact it’s in these valleys when one feels shaken these very convictions, beliefs and faith steadies the one who is traveling through the valleys in their own journey. In holding to one’s faith and conviction it is often that is the very thing that brings one out on the other side standing firm and steady on the mountaintop in their journey.
In following these women and friends through their journey together, seeing who they are as characters and understanding how this can parallel our own lives and journey through our faith consider this. Who are we in our faith are we more like Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte or Samantha. For me and my own journey and faith I don’t see is as so cut and dry as I’m one or the other. We as individual people are complex being and life is rarely ever just about one or the other. More times than not life and is a mixture of things blended together. While I do see some of all these women and characters in me and my journey I can say there is a some dominant and more influential on my journey.
In my own journey I see that I have the influence of Carrie in that I’m creative in some ways and I’m a writer and have a great passion for my writing. I feel not so much as when I was younger but as I’ve gotten older I have seen more of an Samantha influence in my journey I know that i want and I go for it and when I’m done I’m done. I would say for me the two most dominate influence on me and my journey comes from Charlotte and Miranda. I often think and say I should have been lawyer and I the idea of the law and studying it. Actually most of the tv that I watch has to do with law, cop and detective shows and drama. Also I’m most definitely practical and logical, at times to my own determent, type A, OCD, and perfectionist. I want to see and be shown the whys, hows, reasons and base or evidence for something.
The Charlotte influence in me is my and her journey have been similar in many ways which how i got interested in the show to begin with.Also I have always believed from a young age and have never wavered in my faith or belief at its core. That is not to say that I haven’t had my valleys, struggles and my moments of doubt in some aspects but never ever at the core of my Fatih and who Jesus and God is. In your own journey what parallels do you see to these four friends and characters. Who do you see that influences the journey through your faith and the type of walk of faith that you travel. Are you a Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, Samantha or more a blended mixture as you journey through your faith.
The second answer to how these four women and friends parallels our faith is that just as in the show these four unique and different individual women came together on the common ground of their friendship this is the same of us as believers. We are all special, different, unique and wonderfully made by our Creator. We are all different, have different backgrounds and we are all on our own unique and different journeys. No matter if you are a Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, Samantha, or a blended mixture, what your background is, where you came from, or how you came to the faith and your own journey before your faith and as you journey through your faith we still all have come to believe in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We can come together and be united by and on the common ground of our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May we all journey forward in our own walk and faith but knowing we travel this journey together as friends, sisters and brothers in Christ and followers of Christ. Let this always be the ground of commonality that we hold to and stay true as we gather at the table and fellowship in our common bond as we journey along in faith.