I rented three movies this week. After a long day at the store, they offer low impact family together time. The Pink Panther 2 gave us all a few laughs and me a few thoughts.
That said, I don't really enjoy movies where a bumbling character stumbles through scene after scene. I grow uncomfortable knowing calamity is always moments away and feel for the outsider who can't fit into the norm.
So... as I watched Inspector Clousseau (the epitome of awkward) dangle from the Popes balcony and burn down a restaurant twice, I grew fidgety and eventually gave up on him like everyone else. Yet as some of you know and most would suspect, by the end of the movie, he regained his hero status.
And I found it reassuring.
The last three years have challenged me in ways I never expected. New marriage. Blending families. Growing teens. Lost legs.
Some days I've shown genius, grace, and maybe even godly character. But on many others, I've been a complete basket case, awkward, emotional, an outsider in my own skin.
I was encouraged when Inspector Clousseau overcame the world's annoyance with him and rose above, solving the crime with renewed determination. I decided there was hope for me.
His story is far more the norm than I like to admit. Think about Peter who denied Christ, Moses who got mad, and David who killed a husband for the poor guy's gal. They aren't remembered for their foibles. They're celebrated for their lifelong pursuit of God in spite of their utter humanity.
At times I've fought great frustration that when my boys have needed balance most (during their teen years), I haven't been able to even walk straight, let alone guide with wisdom and discernment. But after watching that movie and pondering the lives of the saints of old, I can look back with grace.
The good news? If our pursuit of Christ remains relentless, God can bring glory out of all of our journeys, especially the most broken places.
Today that brings me great peace. And I remain "confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6)
1 comment:
Amen and amen. and isn't it good that he's carrying his good work onto completion and it's not my job! Hope Sam's results are what you are praying for.
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