A Wrinkle in Time

Date

18.04.25

A sister and brother and their friend must follow three celestial beings across space and time to rescue their father.

A Wrinkle in Time (2003)

Rated PG

Directed by John Kent Harrison Production Company Dimension Television/ABC

Starring Katie Stuart, Gregory Smith, David Dorfman, Kate Nelligan, Alfre Woodard, Allison Elliot

A sister and brother and their friend must follow three celestial beings across space and time to rescue their father.

Opening Thoughts

(The following is from a fan fiction I wrote based on the Jim Rubart novel Soul’s Gate. For my story, I inserted myself into the book as a character, and the following scene is of two of the main characters entering into my past to break lies I had been believing about myself and help facilitate spiritual healing.)

Marcus and Brandon walked into the dining room.

Sarah sat at a long trestle table in the center of it, books and papers spread out in front of her. Brandon guessed her to be around fourteen years old. She had her head dropped to the table and her face was buried in her folded arms. They saw her shoulders begin to shake as she cried.

Marcus stepped further into the room and stood by the table, Brandon following right along with him. Marcus laid a light hand on her shoulder. Sarah’s head popped up. She seemed not to recognize them, but didn’t didn’t display surprise or fear at seeing them, just curiosity.

“Can we be of assistance?” Marcus asked. Sarah swiped a hand under her runny nose.

“Probably not. Who are you guys…tutors?” she asked, picking up her glasses and putting them on her nose.

“I’ve done some tutelage in the past.” Marcus said. “We’d like to help you with your problems.”

Sarah shook her head and gave a short bitter laugh. “You can’t. I’ve had tutors before. I’ve even stayed after school, tons of times, and tried to get help from the teachers. But it never works, because I’m just stupid.”

“That’s not true.” Brandon said. He sat down across the table from her, and Marcus pulled out the chair next to her. Sarah looked down at the pages in front of her.

“It is true. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, no matter how hard I study…it’s like my brain just shuts off. Mom doesn’t understand. I can’t do it, no matter how hard I try, I’m just a big failure.” She sighed.

Brandon raised his eyebrows at Marcus. Marcus mouthed back to him, “pray” as he studied Sarah.

“Let’s put aside the work for a moment,” he said, gathering up the books and papers into a pile. Sarah looked concerned.

“Oh no, I have to-I have to have it done. Mom’ll get mad at me.”

“Just for a moment,” he said as he placed the homework to one side. “Let me ask you a question. Do you enjoy mathematics?”

Sarah wrinkled up her nose. “Heck no. It’s like the worst kind of torture.”

“Which subjects do you enjoy in school?”

“I like English okay. I love reading.”

“I do too. What books are your favorites?”

A light seemed to come on behind Sarah’s eyes.

“Oh, so many.” She gave a little laugh and began to count off on her fingers. “Anne of Green Gables, Watership Down, The NeverEnding Story, The Secret Garden, The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time-”

That one. Brandon felt the touch of the Holy Spirit as he remembered her reading the book at Well Spring.

“I’ve heard of that one, but I never read it. What’s it about?” he asked her.

Sarah smiled and began talking excitedly.

“Oh, you should read it, it’s so great! It’s about this girl Meg, and she and her brother Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin travel across time and space to rescue her father, and it’s just so cool.”

“That does sound cool. What do you like about it?”

Sarah grinned. “I like the character of Meg.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, she’s brave, and strong, and smart, and loves her family. She’s a hero, she saves her father and her brother at the end.”

Marcus pushed up his glasses. “I’ve read that book as well and found it most pleasurable. You’re correct, I also found the character of Meg intriguing. Do you know why?”

Sarah shook her head. “Why?”

“Meg is given to fits of anger, and stubbornness. Meg speaks before she thinks and gets into fights. She makes mistakes. She is flawed.”

Sarah looked down at the table and picked at a fingernail. “So?”

“Meg’s ‘flaws’ are what saves her in the end. When she and the other children are stranded on Camazotz, where perfection is prized above all else, Meg’s imperfections, her mistakes, her variations, are what protects her from IT.”

Sarah looked at Marcus. “I-I never thought about that before.”

“I see a lot of similarities between the two of you.”

“Between me and her?” Sarah’s eyebrows shot up.

“Yes. You both perceive yourselves as unattractive when in reality you are very lovely young women. You both perceive yourselves as unintelligent when you are actually quite clever.”

“How do you know? You didn’t see my last report card.”

“Yeah, you haven’t seen mine, either.” Brandon quipped, drawing a smile from Sarah.

“And,” Marcus continued, “You both have no idea of the potential you hold and what you are truly capable of.” Sarah’s eyebrows furrowed and she opened her mouth, but Marcus spoke before she could.

“Let me ask you another query. Who was the first actor chosen for Marty McFly in Back to the Future?”

“Eric Stoltz.”

“What is the full name of the human protagonist of The NeverEnding Story?”

“Bastian Balthazar Bux.”

“And how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?”

“The world may never know.” Sarah laughed and Brandon and Marcus joined her.

“There’s nothing defective about your memory, Sarah. You are actually quite gifted in observation and remembering small details that others don’t.”

“But that’s just trivia. I still don’t get this stuff.” she said, giving her textbook a poke.

“You don’t have to excel at mathematics to excel at life. You’re not unintelligent, Sarah. Your mind simply functions differently than most. It’s not unusual, many creative people operate in a similar fashion.”

“Really?” Sarah still looked doubtful.

“I have complete assurance of it. And I also believe that God has made you for more than numbers on a page. You have a unique and highly imaginative mind, crafted by the Maker of the Universe, and it is fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t ever believe the lies that you are stupid or faulty.” Marcus said, holding Sarah’s hand in his.

“Really? You’re not just saying it to make me feel better?” Sarah said.

Marcus tapped a finger lightly on her forehead.

“Really and truly. I believe God is going to show you great and mighty things that you do not know, Sarah. Just be expectant. And,” he added, “There is one more very rare thing that you have in common with Meg.”

Sarah looked at him, her eyes wide. “What?”

“You both have a great capacity to give and receive love. And that is far more important a skill than being competent at mathematics.”

Sarah looked as if she might cry again, but not with unhappy tears. Her face was as if morning had broken, and Brandon smiled, inwardly rejoicing, as he recognized what they had been sent for…hope.

A Wrinkle in Time has always been an important book to me, and while I was massively disappointed in the 2018 theater release, I really enjoyed the TV movie based on the book from 2003. Read on to see what God showed me in A Wrinkle in Time! (the movie and the book!)

SPOILERS for A Wrinkle in Time here!

Meg Murry is an awkward high schooler. She feels ugly, stupid, and most of all, lost without the guidance of her physicist father who has mysteriously disappeared. Her biologist mother has been trying to be there for Meg and her three younger brothers, but after four years no one is sure if there is still hope he will return. One night, Meg, her mother, and her youngest brother Charles Wallace are visited by a strange woman known only as Mrs. Whatsit. They have a baffling conversation, ending with a cryptic statement by Mrs. Whatsit to Meg’s mother: “There is such a thing as a tesseract.” Meg’s mother is clearly shocked, but will not say why.

The next day, a classmate of Meg’s named Calvin comes to check in on her after a tussle with some bullies, and is warmly accepted by the family. After eating dinner, Calvin, Meg, and Charles Wallace receive a summons from Mrs. Whatsit, and when they respond, she tells them they are going to find Meg’s father.

Mrs. Whatsit whisks the children away through space and time, using a method of travel called tessering, which involves “wrinkling” space for faster travel. They arrive on the planet Uriel, where they meet Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. The three ladies reveal themselves to be celestial beings (Mrs. Whatsit is a former star) who are warriors in the battle against darkness in the universe. Mrs. Whatsit sacrificed her star form to help defeat a portion of the darkness. They tell Meg and Charles Wallace that they can help them rescue their father, who is trapped on Camazotz, a planet overcome by the darkness.

The children tesser to Camazotz, and discover the entire planet is controlled by an entity called IT, who forces everyone to dress and act in sync, and hypnotizes and penalizes those who dare break form. They search for Dr. Murry. They discover an image of their father, broken and weak, and Meg, armed with Mrs. Who’s glasses, is able to penetrate the image and bring her father out. There is a joyous reunion, however it is short-lived when IT arrives, seeking Charles Wallace and the power of his hyper-intelligence. IT manages to sway Charles Wallace, and Dr. Murry is forced to tesser away with Calvin and Meg to safety. The three land on the planet Ixchel, and Meg is severely wounded during the tesser. The three are met by beast-like blind alien beings, who help them and set to healing Meg. Meg bonds with her caregiver and names her “Aunt Beast.” Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which reappear, and the group assesses how they might rescue Charles Wallace. In the end it is Meg who realizes that only she can face IT and free Charles Wallace, and she is sent back, alone, to Camazotz.

Meg has a showdown with IT and Charles Wallace, who is now completely under IT’s influence. Meg tries many different ways to reach him, none of which work, when she finally realizes the only thing that will save him is the one thing that IT doesn’t have: love. Meg tells Charles Wallace how much she loves him, and IT’s power crumbles, freeing Charles Wallace. They escape.

The Murrys and Calvin are returned to earth and wished farewell by the three Mrs W’s, and have a long-awaited reunion with their family.

So What Did God Show Me?

-“I wish I could be more like you. It’s just…I don’t fit in my skin anymore, I feel all wrong and creepy. I’m stupid like the twins said, and everyone hates me.”

“Oh, honey, you’re not remotely stupid and nobody hates you.”

“I’m stupid.”

“Just take a moment and think. You do things in your own way, in your own time. And that’s what I love about you so much, it’s what makes you so special. And whenever you need me, I’ll be right here.”

Meg and her father are talking together at their special place, a rock in the field near their house where they watch the stars together. The movie opens with this conversation, and Meg not knowing that it will be their last one for some time. I love how encouraging and positive Meg’s dad is, and how even as she is running herself down he is building her back up. In the book Meg asks him how he knows she’s not dumb, and accuses him of saying so just because he loves her. What Meg doesn’t realize is her dad sees her so much better than she does. He sees her as she truly is, and not the weak perception she has of herself. There’s another Jim Rubart book that I love called The Long Journey to Jake Palmer. In it, the protagonist, Jake, does an exercise with people called “reading our labels.” The point of the exercise is for people to tell others how they see them, because the point is, if we’re standing inside the bottle, we can’t read our own labels. I’ve done this exercise several times and it’s been super powerful each time. We need to hear those truths about ourselves, from honest people we trust, because let’s face it, all of us are seeing ourselves in a glass darkly. And it is so important to be reminded of who we are, because it is so easy to forget! Which, of course, is exactly what the enemy wants, because if we forget who we are, it makes it that much more difficult to live as God created us to: more abundantly. Of course, the most important person we need to read our label is Jesus, because he sees us better than anyone. When was the last time you asked him to read your label? What did he tell you? Why not try it right now?

-It’s very sweet to see the way Calvin is drawn to the Murrys, the way he hungers for the family life they have compared to his own, and how warmly they welcome him in. Through the course of the movie (and the book) we see that Calvin doesn’t come from a warm, loving family like the Murrys, that his home life is instead full of chaos and stress. Although Calvin is a person that Meg calls “Mr. Perfect” because he’s smart, makes good grades, and is popular, he is actually revealed to be very lonely and hurting. “You don’t know how lucky you are to be loved!” he exclaims to Meg in the book. “(But now) I’m not alone anymore! Don’t you realize what that means to me? There hasn’t been anybody, anybody in the world I could talk to!” I think that God brought Calvin to the Murrys not only because they would need him later on their journey, but more simply because he needed them and their influence and love in his life. It reminds me of Psalm 68:6, “God places the lonely in families.” If you are lonely and feeling alone right now, I encourage you to take hold of the promise above. God never made us to do life alone, and if you are, ask him to place you in a family. God’s Word is full of promises, and he is faithful to those who believe.

-The three Mrs. W’s have whisked Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin away on an exciting, albeit dangerous mission to rescue Dr. Murry. They learn that the three women are celestial warriors battling against a terrible darkness that is set on controlling and poisoning everything in the universe, and that Dr. Murray is trapped on a planet, Camazotz, covered and controlled by the darkness. While on a planet in Orion’s belt, they visit the Happy Medium. In the book, the Medium shows them Earth, covered in a terrible darkness of its own. Meg asks if the darkness is recent, and Mrs. Whatsit replies sadly, “It’s been there a great many years. It’s the reason your planet is such a troubled one.” When the children question further, Mrs. Which clarifies “It is Evil. It is the Powers of Darkness.”

This is true. We are all living on a fallen Earth, an Earth where the enemy runs rampant and wrecks havoc in people’s lives. However, it’s important to remember fallen is not lost. One glorious day we will see the Earth restored to its Eden glory. But until then, we as Christians are called and empowered by God’s Spirit to fight against the darkness in every way that we can.

-Terrible things happen in the world, but what can we do about it? We’re too young, too old, too weak, too foolish, too poor, and so on. It’s totally understandable to want to give up. Meg does. But the Happy Medium reveals to them how “one creature can challenge the darkness.” The Medium shows them a star, which, when it explodes, disintegrates the darkness, defeating a portion of it. In the book the Medium declares in delight, “You see! It can be overcome! It is being overcome all the time!” It is revealed that Mrs. Whatsit was once a star, and sacrificed her existence as such to help drive back the darkness. Mrs. Which tenderly tells her, “How can evil ever prevail when there is such courage in the world?”

It’s not easy living in a world covered in darkness. There is much that isn’t right with our world and the people in it. We lose people we love to death and disease. Misunderstanding and miscommunication hamper and hurt relationships. All around us people lie, steal, and even kill. We as humans are capable of such destructive and wicked behavior at times it’s almost unthinkable. Perhaps you feel that the darkness is too great to fight against. Maybe you feel helpless and completely inadequate to battle against such unspeakable evil.

The author of A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle, says in her book Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, “In a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves. If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there’s no danger that we will confuse God’s work with our own, or God’s glory with our own.”

Remember! “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” – 1 John 4:4

Don’t lose hope. We as humans also have the capability for good as well as evil, and we as Christians have many holy weapons with which to fight the darkness…compassion, charity, hope, encouragement, loyalty, bravery, inspiration, faith, and the greatest of all (as Meg learns later) LOVE. Mrs. Who quotes Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28, “Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.”

-When they are on Camazotz and preparing to face the demonic IT, Charles Wallace’s ego makes him believe that he can’t be hurt, even though the three Mrs. W’s warned him against this very thing. He is a child savant, smarter even than Meg and Calvin put together. He can sense and feel things in a way they cannot. Charles puts too much of his trust in his giftings, and thinks he’s untouchable because he’s so much “further along” than Meg and Calvin. This is why he eventually falls prey to IT.

It can be so easy for us to trust only in ourselves and our abilities. We’ll be fine, we can totally handle this task in front of us. After all, we’re strong/wise/talented enough, it should be no problem. Sure, it’d be too much for someone else, but we can handle it. This, as Charles Wallace finds out, is a very dangerous thing, for even though he was massively talented, he was still just a little boy.

It is essential to know that while we may be talented or gifted in certain ways, the only reason we have those talents at all is because God gave them to us, and they were meant to be used in a certain way. We are never to put our faith only in ourselves and what we can do. This is making yourself equal to God, which is foolishness and arrogance to the utmost degree.

God created us with specific talents to use and create with him, it is what he planned for and deeply desires. When we try to use our talents outside of that plan, at the very least we’re striving and not using our talents to their full and glorious potential. And if we try to use our talents to fight the darkness in the world without being wholly aware and dependent on God and his direction, we risk becoming corrupted and even adding to the problem, like Charles Wallace. Only when we stay in partnership with God, humble yet joyful, and obedient to his leading, can we make a true and safe stand against the enemy.

-“There’s no point in resisting.” In the book IT says, “It’s no good to try and oppose me, and you will soon realize there is no need to fight me. For why should you wish to fight someone who is here only to save you pain and trouble? Don’t you see how much better, how much easier for you that is? I am peace and utter rest. I am freedom from all responsibility.” IT offers serenity and happiness, but if the children accept it, they lose something vital – themselves.

Oh, how many times have I heard the enemy whisper things like this in my head? The enemy tries all the time, every minute of every day, to convince me that I am powerless, that it’s not worth fighting anymore, that I’m not making a difference anyway, that evil is too powerful to overcome, so I might as well give up and give in. And the scary thing is that the enemy’s voice can often sound like our own. Like, “Why am I even writing this blog anyway? No one’s even reading it, no one’s ever going to read it, because no one cares about what I have to say. I’m wasting hours and hours and hours of time and effort on something that ultimately serves zero purpose, right? I’m EXHAUSTED. I should just give myself a break already.”

Yes, life is hard, and for the Christian, it can be even harder. But anything that the enemy offers us is pointless compared to what God has available to us. All the enemy can offer is false. False peace, false happiness. God offers us LIFE. Life abundant, life everlasting. Joy and peace that pass all understanding. Don’t settle for temporal things that feel good in the moment but do not last and will ultimately work to our detriment. What God offers is real, for our benefit, and will never pass away.

-Meg has been severely injured by her father’s awkward attempt at tessering, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Although she receives gentle healing from Aunt Beast, she expresses bitterness towards her father, first for leaving their family, and then for “abandoning” Charles Wallace on Camazotz. Oh how often, especially when we are in pain, hurting and scared, so we look to fallible humans for “saving?” And then we are so disappointed when the people we look up to do not meet our expectations. “I thought everything would be better once we found you, but it’s just gotten worse.” Her father had always been there for her before, so naturally Meg saw her father as the one who would take care of everything once they were reunited. But she didn’t realize that her father, due to his trauma, had his own brokenness and wounds that needed healing.

It can be easy, very easy, to turn to humans, and it’s not always bad! Fellowship is good, encouragement is good, and seeking help and advice from others can be good. God did not make us to do life alone. But people cannot save us, they cannot give us life-saving salvation. We are only children of God, not God himself. Ultimately, the only one who will always be there for us and never fail us is God, and he is the only one who can meet all our needs.

-During her healing, Meg is given into the care of a blind alien being she calls “Aunt Beast.” In the book, when Meg asks her if their race is fighting the darkness, Aunt Beast responds, “Oh yes, we are called according to his purpose, and whom he calls, he also justifies.” She is quoting Romans 2:30, “And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory,” (which I think is just really cool.)

Aunt Beast tells Meg that because they are naturally blind and have no concept of this flimsy ability to see, “We feel things not as they seem, but as they are. The only way to fight the darkness and IT and all its disciples is when you discover that all that is important is unseen. All seen things are temporary. All unseen things are eternal.” Aunt Beast, again, was quoting Paul in from 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

This is a battle aid for Meg, and also for us. “It’s not what things look like, it’s what they are like.” There are many things we cannot see with our limited eyes. We cannot see the spiritual battle raging all around us all the time. We cannot see into people’s hearts. We are distracted by screens and billboards and Facebook and Tiktok. People, in the end all these will mean nothing…it’s merely shallow entertainment and distraction. The things we can’t see are the things that will last…love, hope, faith, wisdom, truth. After all, it makes sense that we will need weapons we can’t physically see or wield in a battle that is unseen.

-Meg has returned to Camazotz to rescue her brother and have a final showdown with IT. She is terrified, and rightfully so, because IT almost killed her before. Her only hope is a mysterious blessing from Mrs. Whatsit, “You have something the darkness does not have, can never have, my darling. But it is only yours if you find it for yourself! You have my love! Always my love.” What could she possibly have that IT doesn’t? IT is strong, and powerful, and Meg feels weak and helpless next to it. She is scared, which makes her angry, so she tries to fight her enemy with hate. But that doesn’t work because IT has anger and hate, and way more of it than Meg does. What does she have that IT doesn’t??

From the book (because nothing I could recap could compare to this writing):

“Mrs. Whatsit hates you,” Charles Wallace said.

And that was where IT made IT’s fatal mistake, for as Meg said, automatically, “Mrs. Whatsit loves me; that’s what she told me, that she loves me,” suddenly she knew.

She knew!

Love.

That was what she had that IT did not have.

She had Mrs. Whatsit’s love, and her father’s, and her mother’s, and the real Charles Wallace’s love, and the twins’, and Aunt Beast’s.

And she had her love for them.

But how could she use it? What was she meant to do?

She could stand there and she could love Charles Wallace. Her own Charles Wallace, the real Charles Wallace, the child for whom she had come back to Camazotz, to IT, the baby who was so much more than she was, and who was yet so utterly vulnerable.

Charles. Charles, I love you. My baby brother who always takes care of me. Come back to me, Charles Wallace, come away from IT, come back, come home. I love you, Charles. Oh, Charles Wallace, I love you.

LOVE is what we have. Love overcomes all. It is God’s greatest gift to us, and our greatest weapon. It is the only thing that has and will triumph over the enemy. The enemy never expected Jesus to be led like a lamb to the slaughter. He never expected Jesus to willingly submit to torture and death on the cross, because the enemy doesn’t understand love. He can only offer us counterfeits in the form of lust, or obsession, or temptation. But the enemy can never experience true, Godly, holy love. This is why he hates us so much, because we as God’s creation are loved by him in a way the enemy never will be, and we can love God and have relationship with him in a way the enemy never can.

So while the battle may look bleak and you may feel very helpless, take heart, my darlings. 1 Corinthians 13:7 promises “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” and in verse 13, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

-“To whom much is given, much is expected.” I know, I know, you’re all thinking of the Spiderman quote now, aren’t you? “With much power comes much responsibility.” Well, it’s true. God has a mission for all of us, one he planned especially for us, and he’s equipped us with very specific tools and gifts to accomplish it. So we don’t get to sit on our fannies and watch the world go by. That’s not why we’re here. Quick! What’s your passion? You find that, and even if you don’t know what to do with it, God will show you. He’s faithful, and he will be right alongside you every step of the way. But you have to take that first step, and the next one, and the one after that. You are a child of God, you’re a superhero now! The world is calling…will you answer?

Closing Thoughts

When I went to see the Disney remake of this movie in 2018, I walked into the theater with very high hopes. The trailer had really captured my attention, with its wild art direction, use of a cover of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” and what looked like a really interesting cast!

I walked out in tears.

There was almost nothing left of the book I adored. None of the language and wisdom that had spoken so deeply to my heart. None of the glory to God filling its pages (although I wasn’t really surprised by that.) I did think that Storm Reid (Meg) and Chris Pine (Dr. Murray) made valiant attempts at their characters, and the scene where Meg is reunited with her father was the best I’ve seen yet. But, ultimately, I found that movie to be nothing more than a hollow shell stuffed with pretty fluff.

The 2003 TV movie, while admittedly not amazing in quality, stuck much closer to the book and I enjoyed it. It’s a bit difficult to find, but sometimes you can find it on Youtube, and it is on DVD. Apparently there’s an even longer version of it floating around somewhere that was only shown in the UK, Germany, and France. That would be interesting!

I hope that my weak words were able to share some truth with you, fellow warrior against the darkness. Remember, like Mrs. Which said, “Some of the most brilliant battles have been won by the most unlikely warriors.”