Into the Wild

Good Evening everyone, hope this finds you well and you are having an amazing week so far! Just had a lot on my mind tonight and felt like sharing. Hope you don't mind? Well, my husband finally convinced me to sit down and watch a particular movie entitled "Into The Wild." I didn't know why he kept being so adamant about me seeing this film. It was an indie? It never really had a lot of publicity? Still he never wavered, "You need to see it. You need to see it." So tonight, with nothing else to do, we sat down for what now I could say would be one of the best films I have ever seen. The cinematography, to me, was breathtaking and just the way each experience was portrayed, along with the beautiful portraits of nature is unreal. But like every filmed "true" story, there is a reason why they filmed it. In this particular feature Chris, the main character, is repealed by his parents actions and simply their whole being. He hates them completely and after his graduation from Emory University he packs his things and heads out for an adventure of his lifetime to Alaska. But along the way he meets all these "different" people that truly show him what it meant to "live life to the fullest." As I watched the movie, I analyzed it and realized that every lesson Chris acquired on his journey I could apply to myself. My favorite line is from a scene where he is talking with an old man named Ron, which is like a grandfather figure, and Ron tells Chris "In life when you learn to forgive you learn to love and when you learn to love God shines His light down on you." Which is so true. I've had so many experiences in my life that have taught me this simple truth and to witness it in another life brought so much meaning. Lately I have really struggled with accepting who I am and how to continue on a my path to ultimately become who I want to be. Some of you may be wondering what I mean by 'who I am' , I know who I am but sometimes I second guess myself and wonder why I do things the way I do and why I say things that maybe I should have kept in my personal thought journal. All I really want to be is real and it seems that the more I want it the harder it becomes. Why is that? I know I am human and like all humans I'm going to make mistakes. And without mistakes I couldn't learn how to change. There are just so many fakes out there that I just don't get how they even sleep at night. People I've looked up to my whole life just all of a sudden change. Friends I never thought would walk away, out of the blue are the enemy. For what reason? Pride? Selfishness? Jealousy? Money? Anger? Hate? Why? I venture to think that one day I will finally understand, but who knows. The weirdest thing I have come to understand is that my life is no different than the woman in the next line at the check-out. She has problems and issues as well. She may have more money than I do, I may have more friends than she, but all in all our lives are the same. It's what we make out of what we have is what makes us who we are. I choose to tell the truth when some choose to try and cover up a mistake. I choose to be a friend even when some choose not too. I choose to walk away when others want to keep steering the pot. I choose to step up and take responsibility for what I do when others try to blame it on someone else. I meet different people everyday who say they won't go to church because of the hypocrites. It is astonishing how many "Christians" are two-faced, lying, cheating, deceitful, back-stabbing people. It is quite discouraging. It's a wonder God has let some of them live as long as He has. In "Into the Wild" Chris is faced with different opportunities and struggles in which he always overcame by using good judgement. I was totally inspired to realize his biggest point was 'it's not about how much money you make or how big your house is, what type of car you drive or how "perfect" your life may look on the outside.' It's about the lives you change, the people you help, the statement you make everyday with your actions. People are watching, even when you think they aren't. I had a scenario last week that proved just that. Like I said in my last blog I have been attending Lawndale for a few weeks now and like any good baptist does I have my 'favorite' seat. It just so happens that there are a lot of ordinary baptists there and a certain family sits about in the same spot in front of me every week. Well a couple of weeks back, during the invitation, 2 young ladies came and got the attention of the gentleman in front of me, which I came to conclude it was one of the young girls' father, so she whispered in his ear something quick and smiled. The other young girl wanted to join the church. It brought tears to my eyes when I grasped the greatness of this situation. The girls couldn't have been over 16 or so and the excitement the father's daughter had in her eyes to get her Daddy to help with this milestone couldn't be hidden. Sixteen year-olds are the toughest teenagers because their philosophy is that their parents have no clue about any thing and they definitely don't want to be seen with them in public, much less have their friends know they think their parents are semi cool. So as I watched the dad walk the other young lady down the aisle, I could see her cling to him as if she was his own. She joined the church along with a few other families and as I stood there, I remembered that gut unforgettable feeling that my Daddy, too, could do anything. He knows it all. I don't care if I am 22 years old and married, and I may not always agree with what he does or says but my Daddy is still the smartest man I know. Then the big picture set in. My heavenly father can do anything! All He wants is for us to come running with our arms stretched open having a need we know He can conquer and then after laying our burden down, leaving with a smile on our face and knowing it's all taken care of. If we will just ask, He will carry us through. Well to conclude my story, the next week during the welcoming song, the father turns around to shake my hand and as I inquired on the situation of the prior week, I also wanted to tell him how much it encouraged me. Scott began to tell me of the young girl's past, how her parents were going through a nasty divorce and their house had became her safe haven. Since she had been with them they had had the privilege of leading her to the Lord and recently wanting to join the church. But the two most powerful things he said to me were 1.)" She calls me her Daddy because I show her the love I do my other children, even if that means she gets in trouble." 2.) "Wow, you have no idea what this means for you to say this. For what you don't know is I have been praying for God to show me how I have been doing as a father lately because all I want is for God, my wife and my girls to be proud of me. To be proud to call me their Dad." Speechless. Scott concluded our conversation by saying, "Thank you for following the Spirit in leading you to tell me this and you have taught me true meaning of 'you never know who is watching'." God loves us all like His children and loves when we call him Daddy. He chastises us when we do wrong because he loves us so much. Now off the sleep, praying for a great day tomorrow! Love you

Enjoy the "Sweet Life"