Okay, let me say first of all that I am not usually easily swayed by hype. The fact that this movie has gotten a lot of great press in the Christian Community doesn’t necessarily mean that it appeals to me. Let’s just say that I sometimes have issues with the whole “Christian Sub-culture”.
That being said, however, I went to see Fireproof this past weekend with my husband and parents. If you haven’t heard of this movie you can read about it here. You guys???? I seriously cried though at LEAST half of this movie! At one point, I was crying, my dad was crying, my mom was crying and my husband was crying. While I recognize that the ability to make one cry is not the only benchmark of a good movie, it does attest on some level to the emotional impact that it leaves on you. I don’t know that I have ever seen a more heart wrenching depiction of marital difficulty or the impact it leaves on the people involved. It was almost breathtaking for me to witness the effect that coming to Jesus can have on a person’s heart and their relationships….and it was so realistically portrayed.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again….Jesus is all about changing lives. He is all about changing marriages, and relationships. If you want to see a great portrayal of the reality of that change, then see this movie!
One quick side note, and my only “complaint” about the movie. The acting…especially in the first 15-20 min. of the movie, was pretty sub-par. I wish that we could make something that has the high standards of quality films, but has the message that this one does. Maybe we will get there.
My first baby….my son, is turning 9 tomorrow. I’m stunned at how quickly those 9 years have passed. I know every parent says that….but it’s true! It really seems like just a few months ago I was driving to the hospital at 10pm – excited, nervous, exhilarated…a huge bundle of emotions! Of all the emotions I can remember feeling that night, the strongest one, however, was the overwhelming desire to just meet my son. I wanted to know him…learn about him…see who he was.
At 12:45pm on Monday August 9th, 1999 I met my son….and I’m so glad I did. He has been a joy, a delight, a challange, a growth agent….he has been so many things in my life, but the thing I’m most grateful for is that he has given me a glimpse of the heart God has for me…for us. I get God as my father in such a deeper way because of the last nine years!
I think we are entering a new season over the next nine years when he will be “officially” an adult. We are at the half-way point. Instead of watching him grow into a boy and seeing him become his own person, now I’m starting to watch him grown into a man…and learn how to stand on his own. I’m seeing glimpses of this more every day, and truthfully? It both delights and scares me! The other day I was trying to move something heavy and he jumped up and said “let me do that for you Mommy – I don’t want you to hurt yourself” I told him that I was fine….and his response? “Well let’s keep it that way…let me do it!” It’s precious to watch that man’s heart developing in him.
So, happy birthday to my precious gift Noah….I love you more than you can know and am grateful for every moment I have had with you…good and bad! May the next season of your life be full of delight and awe as we both discover the path that God is laying before you and you learn to travel that new road. Thanks for being my son….and thanks for being who you are! And…..thank you Father….for giving him to me!
Here is a little tip for you. If you want the people you work around NOT to think there is something wrong with you, do not buy a Chicken Soup for the Soul Daily Calendar for your desk.
At least a couple of mornings a week I sit at my desk and cry because of the sad and/or heart tugging stories on my stupid desk calendar! Not just once or twice….on a regular basis.
So, if you hear regular sniffling coming from a co-worker’s cubicle or desk area in the mornings, take pity on them….and hide their daily calendar!
I was sitting at my desk the other day when all of a sudden I was almost overwhelmed with a tangible sense of sadness. It occurred to me that I would never again talk to my grandmother, or get a letter from her, or visit her at her house. I would never sit at her kitchen table again or eat her homemade soup. I would never again hear her on the phone doing her “prayer chain” calls. It almost broke my heart.
I realized when she died 2 months ago that she was never coming back….I did. But I didn’t realize what the reality of that would feel like. It stinks.
Death is hard, there is no doubt about that. It’s a loss that in some ways you never recover from. What gives me hope, however, is knowing that I will see her again. And, when I do, she will not be sick, she will not be in pain, she will remember everything and be totally at peace. That gives me hope. That makes living with the loss of her in my life, in my kid’s life, a little bit easier!
Eternity is a long time…..I’m so glad she will be with me for that!
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