An Interview with Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler On The Shift, Spiritual Warfare, and Choosing Goodness in Unstable Times
- Paula Sadler
- 19 hours ago
- 8 min read
🎬 The Shift Movie: (2023) – A Modern-Day Job in a Multiverse of Darkness and Hope
Interviewer: You recently watched The Shift. What struck you most about the film?
Rev. Paula Sadler: What struck me immediately was that this is a modern-day Job story. It’s wrapped in science fiction, alternate realities, dystopia—but at its core, it asks the same ancient question:
Will you still choose goodness when everything is taken from you?
Kevin loses his stability. His company lays off workers. His son disappears. His marriage fractures under grief. Society itself feels dystopian—scarcity, fear, control. And standing behind it all is a figure who calls himself The Benefactor.
But he is not benevolent.
He is the adversary.
Interviewer: The title “The Benefactor” is interesting. Why do you think that matters?
Rev. Sadler: Because evil rarely calls itself evil.
It doesn’t show up with horns.
It shows up with:
Efficiency
Promises
Economic control
Political “solutions”
Appeals to fear
The most chilling part isn’t that the adversary causes suffering. It’s that he offers a shortcut around suffering—at the cost of integrity.
That’s the temptation.
All Kevin has to do is compromise.
And that’s how it always works.
Interviewer: The film uses a multiverse framework. What do you see spiritually in that?
Rev. Sadler: The multiple realities aren’t just sci-fi entertainment. They symbolize choice.
There are many Kevins. Many Mollys. Many timelines.
But in this one, Kevin must decide who he will become.
He must choose:
Faith instead of despair
Sacrifice instead of self-preservation
Love instead of power
And in the end, he chooses compassion. He helps reunite a young girl with her family, even while his own reunion is uncertain.
That’s the turning point.
Goodness wins not through domination—but through mercy.
Interviewer: One of the small moments you mentioned was the lost cat returning. Why did that affect you?
Rev. Sadler: Because sometimes hope comes quietly.
In this bleak world—people starving, systems collapsing—a lost cat returns after four years. And it becomes a sign.
God has not abandoned us.
Sometimes faith isn’t restored by thunder. It’s restored by something small and deeply personal.
I’ve experienced that in my own life—rainbows appearing after meditation, synchronicities that defy explanation. That moment in the film mirrored that reality for me.
Grace breaks through even dystopia.
Interviewer: There’s a strong political and cultural parallel in your reflection. What are you seeing?
Rev. Sadler: I ask the people to look closely.
Just as the devil asked in the film, “Where do you think you are?” — I ask that same question of us now.
You may not be where you think you are.
History is filled with figures who promised they were the answer. The protector. The savior. The one who alone could fix it all. They called themselves benefactors. Restorers. Deliverers.
But in time, the mask fell.
And beneath it was control. Beneath it was fear. Beneath it was cruelty justified as necessity.
The adversary rarely announces himself as evil.
He calls himself indispensable.
Anyone who sanctions violence, condones killing, or justifies the suffering of “others” — especially innocents — is operating from fear. And fear is the doorway through which evil enters.
The devil in The Shift does not force Kevin.
He tempts him.
He offers him security. He offers him escape. He offers him power.
All he has to do is compromise.
Interviewer: So what is the core lesson for today?
Rev. Sadler: The real battle isn’t left versus right.
It’s fear versus love. It’s domination versus compassion.
The film reminds us:
Evil thrives on fear.
Faith thrives on surrender.
Goodness is a choice, not a circumstance.
Small miracles still matter.
Hope survives even dystopia.
Kevin couldn’t control the systems. He couldn’t outmaneuver the adversary.
He could only choose who he would become.
And that is where the real battle was.
Interviewer: Do you believe we’re in a “shift” right now?
Rev. Sadler: Yes. I do.
Institutions feel unstable. Trust is fragile. Truth feels manipulated. Power sometimes masquerades as benevolence.
But we are not powerless.
We must ask:
Who is calling themselves the benefactor?
Who benefits from fear?
Who profits from division?
Who is being labeled “other”?
Because once we accept the suffering of “others,” we have already shifted.
The hope of The Shift is not that evil disappears overnight.
The hope is that goodness still wins—when ordinary people refuse to become what fear is trying to make them.
In the end, goodness wins not because suffering vanishes, but because one man refused to become what he hated.
That is the modern Book of Job.
And perhaps that is the call for us right now.
Keep praying. Keep choosing goodness. Keep believing that even in chaos—God is present.
The shift may be happening.
But the light has not gone out.
My Personal Reflection
Look closely at the world’s leaders.
Whoever is leading with love, empathy, kindness, compassion, and understanding—these are virtues of goodness. These qualities surely come from a loving God.
Others who are filled with hate, anger, prejudice, unkindness, revenge, domination, and humiliation—whether through their words or their actions—are not operating from God or from goodness.
It is not difficult to discern.
Even a child can see the difference.
I pray: God, save us. Save us from the evil that surrounds us—not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Open the eyes of the people. Help us to see clearly.
There is no “us” and “them.”
We are truly one human family.
Borders are drawn on paper. Hatred is learned. Division is manufactured—often by those who claim to be our benefactors.
Help us, God, to love our neighbor as ourselves. Help us to truly live the Golden Rule. Help us to choose goodness, even when fear is louder.
Amen.
🎬 The Shift and the Historical Weight of Birmingham, Alabama
4
One of the most historically significant aspects of The Shift is that it was filmed in Birmingham.
That location is not neutral.
Birmingham is sacred ground in American history.
It was a central battleground of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, peaceful demonstrators—many of them children—were attacked with fire hoses and police dogs. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church killed four young Black girls and shocked the conscience of the nation. From a jail cell in that same city, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” defending nonviolent resistance against unjust systems.
Birmingham represents a moment when systems that claimed to uphold “order” were exposed as instruments of oppression.
That parallels The Shift in powerful ways.
The Benefactor and “Order”
In the film, the antagonist presents himself as a benefactor—someone bringing order, stability, and structure. Yet beneath that promise is control and suffering.
In Birmingham’s history, segregation was defended in similar language:
“Preserving order”
“Protecting tradition”
“Maintaining stability”
But history revealed the truth.
It was not order. It was injustice.
The spiritual lesson is timeless: Power often cloaks itself in righteousness.
A City of Suffering — and Redemption
Birmingham is also a story of redemption.
The brutality that unfolded there did not win. Courage did. Faith did. Nonviolent resistance did.
Just like Kevin in The Shift, people in Birmingham were tested:
Would they respond to violence with violence?
Would they surrender to despair?
Would they compromise their integrity for safety?
Instead, they chose moral courage.
Goodness prevailed—not instantly, not without cost—but undeniably.
Race Relations and the Present Moment
Filming in Birmingham unintentionally (or perhaps providentially) layers the movie with historical resonance.
The film asks: Will you compromise when fear pressures you?
Birmingham’s history asks: Will you stand for justice when systems demand silence?
Both confront the same spiritual tension: Fear versus love. Control versus dignity. Domination versus equality.
When we look at today’s world—polarization, racial tension, political division—the setting reminds us that we have been here before. The names change. The faces change. But the moral test remains.
Why This Matters
Birmingham is proof of two things:
Systems built on fear eventually collapse.
Love rooted in justice endures.
That is why the setting matters.
Because in a city once known as “Bombingham,” where hatred attempted to terrorize a people into submission, faith and courage reshaped history.
And that mirrors the message of The Shift:
The adversary may control the environment. He may manipulate circumstances. But he cannot force the soul.
The choice remains.
And when people choose goodness—history bends.
It is not easy to name this Truth, But The Trump Administration, Donald Trump and all he stands for is the equivalent of "The Benefactor" and we are living through a test at this very moment. Many will not believe it, or want to see it, but the truth cannot be denied. Many are in the grip of believing that Trump was sent by God himself to save America and the world and Morality-but goodness cannot come from hatred and oppression.
✨ How Jesus Washed the Disciples’ Feet
The story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 13. It took place during the Last Supper, just before His arrest and crucifixion.
The Setting
In first-century Jewish culture, foot washing was common—but it was the job of the lowest servant in the household. People wore sandals and walked dusty roads. Washing someone’s feet was an act of humility and service.
It was never the role of a rabbi or teacher.
And certainly not the Messiah.
What Jesus Did
During the meal:
Jesus rose from the table.
He removed His outer garment.
He wrapped a towel around His waist.
He poured water into a basin.
He knelt and began washing His disciples’ feet.
He dried them with the towel.
This was a deliberate act. Slow. Personal. Humbling.
Peter’s Resistance
When Jesus came to Peter, Peter protested:
“Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Peter felt uncomfortable. The roles felt reversed.
Jesus replied that unless He washed him, Peter could have no part with Him. Then Peter, in typical passionate fashion, asked for his hands and head to be washed too.
Jesus gently explained that the act was symbolic—about spiritual cleansing and about learning the heart of service.
The Meaning
After finishing, Jesus asked:
“Do you understand what I have done for you?”
He said:
“You call me Teacher and Lord—and rightly so, for that is what I am.”
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”
This moment redefined leadership.
Not domination. Not superiority. Not power.
But humility. Service. Love.
The Spiritual Lesson
Jesus demonstrated that true greatness is found in serving others.
In a world that elevates status and control, He knelt.
In a culture structured by hierarchy, He reversed it.
The washing of feet was not about cleanliness—it was about the posture of the heart.
Love stoops. Goodness serves. Leadership kneels.
Why It Matters Today
When evaluating leaders—spiritual or political—the question becomes:
Who is willing to kneel?
Who serves without humiliation? Who uplifts rather than dominates? Who acts from compassion rather than fear?
Jesus washing feet remains one of the clearest images of what goodness looks like in action.
Not loud. Not coercive. Not self-exalting.
But humble, steady, and grounded in love.
In the Gospels, Jesus’ speech had certain consistent qualities:
He spoke with authority, but not self-exaltation.
He rebuked hypocrisy, especially among religious elites.
He used strong language at times (“whitewashed tombs,” “brood of vipers”).
But His strongest words were aimed at systems of spiritual corruption — not at the vulnerable.
He did not mock the poor, the sick, foreigners, or sinners.
He wept over Jerusalem.
He forgave from the cross.
You now decide for yourself what is the truth of the Moment we are in?
Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler
2-24-2026
Universal Rainbow Faith
Comments