Lost: Season One
Episode 7, “The Moth”

(Touchstone Television, 2005)
Main Point of Discussion: We must rejoice when we go through suffering, because through it God strengthens us and teaches us endurance.

The Movie Clip: “The struggle is nature’s way of strengthening it.”

Lost is one of those really popular, addictive television series that people talk frequently about. Whenever other popular series like Prison Break

or 24 are brought up, you’ll almost always hear Lost mentioned. The series is about a group of people who survive when their flight from Australia to Los Angeles is cut short in a terrible crash on a seemingly deserted island. However, after only a short while on the island, they realize they are not alone on this island. And the more time they spend on the island, the more questions about the island arise. The series is weird and puzzling, but addictive and filled with amazing story and character development.

The clip we are using features Charlie and Locke. Charlie is a heroine addict who is trying to quit, and Locke is holding Charlie’s stash for him, helping him to sober up. This clip features a conversation between the two, where Charlie asks Locke to give him the drugs back and Locke uses a moth cocoon as an illustration to talk to him about the necessity of struggles in life. A great scene, it speaks a lot of truth.

Introducing the Clip:
Today we’re going to watch a scene from the super popular TV series Lost. Don’t worry if you haven’t ever seen the show; you don’t need to know much to understand what is going on in the scene. Our clip is from the very first season of Lost, and features Charlie and Locke. Charlie is a heroine addict trying to quit his drug addiction. Locke is helping Charlie clean up by holding all of Charlie’s drugs for him. In this scene, it’s been a few days, and Charlie is really craving his next fix. I want you to listen to what Locke tells Charlie. He teaches him a really important lesson. After the clip, we’ll break up into our groups.

Scene Script:

CLIP LOCATION: Season 1: Episode 7, “The Moth”

BEGIN CLIP AT 18 minutes and 28 seconds.

(Locke is skinning a boar as Charlie enters.)

Locke: Something wrong, Charlie?

Charlie: Yeah, Jack. He’s… There’s been an accident in the caves. Jack’s trapped in a cave-in.

Locke: Is anyone trying to get him out?

Charlie: There’s a bunch of people there now.

Locke: And why aren’t you with them? (Charlie doesn’t answer.) You didn’t come here to tell me about Jack did you?

Charlie: I want my stash, Locke. I can’t stand feeling like this.

Locke: Come here. Let me show you something.

(They walk to a tree. LOCKE points to a cocoon growing on a tree.)

Locke: What do you suppose is growing in the cocoon, Charlie?

Charlie: I don’t know. A butterfly, I guess.

Locke: No, it’s much more beautiful than that. That’s a moth cocoon. It’s ironic. Butterflies get all the attention. But moths, they spin silk. They’re stronger, faster…

Charlie: That’s wonderful, but…

Locke: You see this little hole? This moth’s just about to emerge. It’s in there right now, struggling. It’s digging its way through the thick hide of the cocoon. Now, I could help it. Take my knife, gently widen the opening, and the moth would be free. But it would be too weak to survive. The struggle is nature’s way of strengthening it. Now, this is the second time you’ve asked me for your drugs back. Ask me again and it’s yours.

END CLIP AT 20 minutes and 34 seconds.

Transitional Statement:
In this scene, Locke makes an interesting argument. He points to the moth and tells Charlie that “the struggle is nature’s way of strengthening it.” It sounds a lot like the phrase I heard growing up that said “What doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger.” (Yeah, before the Kanye West song) A lot of times we tend to roll our eyes at sayings like this, because it’s so hard to look at our difficult situations and think that we can get something good from them. But according to Locke in the video clip, we can. Let’s discuss this whole idea about strengthening through struggles in our discussion groups.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Before we begin, let’s go around the circle. Tell us your name and the easiest task you accomplished this week.
2. ASK A FEW: And what was the hardest thing you experienced this week?
3. ASK A FEW: When people normally have troubled times, how do they normally react or respond?
4. ASK A FEW: In the clip we saw, the man named Locke (the older guy) says “struggle is nature’s way of strengthening” the moth. What do you think he means by this?
5. ASK A FEW: Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
6. ASK A FEW: What are some of the struggles and difficulties that students your age go through?
7. ASK A FEW: What do you think it would be like if God were to rescue us every single time we ran into trouble?

Read the following passage:

Romans 5:3, 4 (NLT)
[3] We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. [4] And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.
8. ASK SOMEONE: According to the above passage, problems and trials are good for us. Why? (Hint: look at the passage again.)
9. ASK A FEW: It says problems and trials “help us learn to endure.” What do you think that means?
10. ASK A FEW: Paul tells us in this passage that if we run into problems and trials, we won’t just learn to endure, we’ll actually get more out of going through these times. Read verse four again. What all does it say happens when we go through our problems and times of trial?
11. ASK A FEW: What is your first reaction to the idea of having to rejoice when we run into problems and trials?
12. ASK A FEW: When Paul says that we should rejoice when we go through difficult times, what does that look like? How do we do it?
13. ASK A FEW: How are you guys (or girls) with rejoicing when things aren’t going your way? Are you able to appreciate all that trials bring us?
14. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Let’s go around the circle and share one thing that we are going to do to rejoice when things don’t go our way this week.
15. AROUND THE CIRLCE: Now I want each of you to think of one trial or difficulty in your life right now. It could be something huge and extremely trying, or it could be small and maybe less of a big deal. And then we’re going to take turns thanking God for allowing us to go through these things. It can be as simple as “God, thanks for allowing me to struggle through math. I know you’re teaching me. Amen.” We’re just looking for real, not fancy. I’ll start…

Wrap Up:
Tonight we’ve been talking about trials and hard times. I know that it is a lot easier to talk about rejoicing when things are difficult than it is to actually do it during those times. But remember what Locke said in the video clip we watched earlier: “Struggle is nature’s way of strengthening” the moth. It is amazing how God has chosen to allow us to struggle and go through trials in order to strengthen us and make us stronger. I know that for me, it isn’t always easy to look at the difficulties in my life with rejoicing or thanks. But at the same time, knowing that God is actually teaching me and helping me through these times makes it just a little bit easier. This week I want you to remember what you talked about in your groups. Remember what you answered when you were asked what you can do this week to rejoice during your struggles. And also remember your time of praying to God and thanking Him for your tough situations and difficulties. Because when those times come, we have to remember the moth, and we have to remember that God allows us to go through the struggle so He can strengthen us.

Close in Prayer

Written by Matt Furby