First of all, I went to see it on accident. Well, not totally. I just didn't consider it a must-see when I saw the preview; I wasn't necessarily planning on going to see it unless my mom begged me to come with her as a "last-time-before-you-go-back-to-school" outing. But a good friend decided we should go see it for her birthday and was really excited about it, so I went with her, glad for the chance to hang out and to see what all the hype was really about.
Maybe it was the fact that it was raining out, (which naturally puts me in the mood to think deeply and pretend to philosophize - more than usual), or maybe the fact that I was there with a combination of friends I had known my while life and friends I just met. Maybe it was the recent realization that I was going back to school, and growing up too fast... I don't know. But anyway, the movie made me think.
It made me crave Italian food. (Lots and Lots of Italian food).
It made me miss art class, and discover a new appreciation for old buildings.
Ruin is a gift... All things fall down, dear. The only thing permanent is family.
It made me crave independence and adventure at first, only to realize (as Andrew Peterson had already told me) that sometimes the greatest adventure is not in leaving, but in coming home, in loving someone, in starting and appreciating family.
It made me want to dance in the rain, to see places I've never seen, to learn a language, to stand in the middle of a crowded street and just watch people.
It made me want to look at the stars or listen to the waves, or curl up with a good book.
It made me appreciate a lot of little pleasures in life, and desire bigger ones, ones I've never experienced.
I want to marvel at something...
It made me want to see and experience cultures I've never seen - the richest and the poorest.
Most of all it made me wonder how people, like the followers in the Ashram in India, could be so lost and far from the truth, yet so devoted to what they thought could save them, when I, we, as Christians, know the truth and yet are too afraid to say or do anything about it?
These people get up at 4:30 am to meditate and worship, chanting and swaying and singing - to a picture of a dead woman.
We can barely make it to church once or twice a week to worship the LIVING GOD who created the universe and saved our souls - and only if we can get sleep and Starbucks first.
These people go through disciplines of service, of silence, of scrubbing floors and tending gardens, for hours a day, weeks on end - and we can't even take the time out of our day to get to know our neighbors, or give a meal to someone, or, heaven forbid, travel to somewhere uncomfortable to tell people what we know. We can't imagine offering help to someone who can't pay us back, or doing work that goes unappreciated, or even doing our best at whatever job we are given because it honors God - even if we don't get paid or recognized.
What kind of backwards logic is this?
What kind of life am I living - or claiming to live?
These people are so lost, are spending their lives trying to find answers, forgiveness, peace and balance, and looking to some unknown woman who is dead with no power... disciplining themselves for weeks, years even...
Everyone hopeless, and hoping for something to hope for...
And look at me. When was the last time I was that devoted to Christ? When was the last time I believed in the truth enough to share it? Or even to obey it? To help others?
As we studied the parable of the Ten Virgins Sunday, someone observed that "the reason we don't live prepared lives that are focused on Christ and his coming is because deep down, we don't really believe he is enough." We don't really believe he is better than whatever our flesh is consumed with at the time.
What would it look like if I became as devoted to Christ as these Hindus are to their gurus or their gods? I have the TRUTH - why would I find any excuse not to live it out and share it?
you've made me want to see that movie even more. I knew by the previews that it would make me think the same things you have. As Christians we have so much more hope and so much more to rejoice in than anyone else, yet we are so much less committed. it's convicting.
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