Hunting for Souls: What Pokemon Taught Me About God's Mission

While on vacation recently, I had the chance to spend some time with my two nephews. In a family filled with girls, it was quite the experience to hear the shouts and cries of two boys battling it out, complete with sound effects dedicated to their favorite “boy toys.” Having four daughters myself, I’m far more accustomed to baby dolls and toy mansions than trucks and action figures. But I quickly learned that my nephews are huge fans of “Pokémon,” an animated video game franchise filled with endless creatures that have names I can barely pronounce. These creatures, known as pocket monsters—or Pokémon for short—are central to the game’s world. Players, known as “Pokémon Trainers,” catch and train these creatures. Each Pokémon has special abilities that can be strengthened through battles against other trainers and their Pokémon. The game is all about adventure, friendship, strategy, and the joy of discovering and collecting these imaginative creatures. If you ever have time to spare, my nephews would be more than happy to show you their collection of trading cards, their index book listing every character and its special abilities, and all their other Pokémon-related toys.

Up until this point, the only thing I knew about Pokémon was that in 2016, they released a game called Pokémon Go, which went viral. This game was groundbreaking because it used your phone’s location to create a virtual world filled with these hidden creatures. People looked like zombies, walking around parks with their phones, as if they were on a treasure hunt. The excitement came from this “Easter egg” hunt, where discovering new characters was thrilling. Once you found a Pokémon, you’d capture it by tossing a virtual ball towards it on your phone screen. That’s about where my knowledge of Pokémon ends, so don’t ask me anything beyond that!

While my nephew was explaining something about it, I made the mistake of telling him about Pokémon Go—a game he wasn’t aware of. His eyes lit up, and he was instantly captivated as I showed him how it worked on my phone. Unfortunately for my brother-in-law, their lives might now be consumed with hunting for Pokémon creatures because the boys were pumped to go out searching every day after that!

This got me thinking about the virtual world of Pokémon and how it reminded me of what God’s view of our world might look like. What if He had a book with all of us in it, listing all of our gifts and abilities? Imagine those who are saved being like “trainers” (disciples), who go out searching for lost souls. When the lost are found, some are captured by the message of the Gospel and, in turn, become ambassadors for God’s kingdom. Others hear the message and escape, trying to live self-sufficiently. Some might eventually be captured when another trainer finds them down the road, years after they initially escaped. Sadly, some never come to know God or realize how much He loves them, missing out on spending eternity with Him. God grieves over every one of His created beings because His plan has always been for every single one to be with Him. However, He loves each person so much that He allows them to choose what “they” want, not what “He” wants. And some choose to go their own way without Him.

I know this analogy might be a stretch for some, and perhaps I’m not the best at drawing parallels. But what I do know is that Christians are meant to be on mission for God’s kingdom—seeking the lost, helping those in need, and advocating for the oppressed. What if we approached life with the same enthusiasm as Pokémon Go? Waking up each day eager to find lost souls with unique gifts and talents, people who need to hear about God and how much He loves them. What if we went out of our way to share how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed our lives and how it can change theirs too? What if we were generous with our time, talents, and resources to help others, just as we are called to do? Perhaps it’s time we step out of our comfort zones, turn off our TVs, and go out hunting—for souls.

Until next time, God bless...