Family Movie Night and Chasing the Light

What a fun day!  We slept late which is a treat because the Martin kids NEVER sleep past 6:30. We went Christmas scouting. That just means we went to the toy store and set the kids free. We listen and pay close attention to what they play with and what they say. Santa’s always watching! We had lunch at Cheddars and came home for a quick nap.

After nap time, we made popcorn on the stove. Brewer loves watching the pot fill to the top! We pulled out the sofa bed in Daddy’s office and made a pallet of pillows and blankets and ordered a movie. Family Movie time with Stovetop Popcorn! What’s not to love, right?

So, the evening was a huge win. The movie, hum … let’s chat about it shall we.

We watched, The Croods. It’s a movie about the last remaining cave man and his family. They have survived while their friends perished; because the Dad has done everything he knows how to protect them. They have strict rules to live by. The family motto is, “never not be afraid.” They live in the darkness and fear the light. They fear anything new. The oldest daughter, as most teenagers do, feels stifled by her fathers’ rules and rebels against them. She ends up meeting a young man her own age and is swept off her feet by his new and modern ideas. He is a chaser of the light and believes the world is coming to an end. The only way to survive is to reach the sun/light and it will take him to a better place.

While the movie in itself was cute and funny with lots of action, at first I was kind of offended. Maybe I took it the wrong way, but I felt like it was another movie pushing kids to rebel against their parents old and outdated ideas. The daughter was very disrespectful and at times disobedient and in being so, influenced the rest of her family.

On a positive note, there was a “family first” theme. It was neat to see an imperfect family working together and staying together. There was a scene where Eap (the daughter) and Grug (the Dad) are arguing about finding another cave to hide in and she looks at him and says, “That wasn’t living, that just … wasn’t dying. There’s a difference!” That was a turning point for me. It kinda hung with me. That was a very profound statement for a cartoon. I mean really. Being alive and living are two different things.

As a follower of Christ, I believe that I have been rescued from a dark place. I believe that turning and giving my life to Christ means that I am asked to live a certain way. Part of that is not being afraid to follow where I am lead. To follow Christ whole heartedly, we’ve got to let go of fear of the unknown. We’ve got to trust and follow the light! This life, this world we live in right now, its ending at some point. The bible clearly tells us that. This way of life will pass and we are just passing through on our way to a better place; eternity with the Light, with Him. So, if I give my life to Christ, yet am afraid of the unknown and hide in my “cave” then I’m not living, I’m just not dying. And that my friend is not what Christ wants for us.

If we as Christians become afraid of everything around us and hide in our homes and churches, fearing anything new, how then will we reach people? How then can we love people? How then can we share the light if we hoard it under our own roofs? That’s not living Friends, that’s just not dying.

God has been working some things out in me this summer, specifically, working on my fear and my need for control. Friends, life is so much better in His hands than in mine. His will and His way is so much better than mine. Less of me and more of Him is what I crave! Not just for myself but for you as well. If you don’t know Him, I pray you’ll ask me because I would love to introduce you to my Jesus, my Savior, and my Friend. If you know Him and you’re hoarding him and living in fear, let it go! Stop just not dying. Start to really live.

So, is that deep enough for you from a kid’s movie?