We spent the last 4 days in Minneapolis, and I can sum the whole trip up in three words - in room movies - we saw 5 of them, among them "Evan Almighty." I'd seen the previews, but wasn't that impressed. I really like Steve Carvell and the way he says "SHEEEEEEEEP" when he sees them in the back seat of his car, but I didn't know about the rest of it. Now I know I'll never forget Genesis 3:16 (look it up), and I must say, I got goosebumps for most of the movie. At one point I was saying very loudly, "I LOVE THIS MOVIE" to Bill, who looked up casually from his GameBoy and said, "Nice, Mom." What moved me? The thought that we may say we want to make a difference in this world, then when we're called to actually DO something, we say, "Ah, well, that wasn't EXACTLY what I was thinking - could you make me win the lottery, and I'll give some money away to people who need it?", but God/aka Morgan Freeman (I love that man) doesn't relent, but he DOES have humor (which I think god/the Universe/whatever you call that greater force out there) and is kind and patient. As God says, "I have all the time in the world."
It's a movie about faith, especially. God says the story of Noah and the ark is about family sticking together, but I had the feeling it was more about acting on your inner instincts - I'm not talking about the "God made me do this" kind of mentality that can get really destructive, but the genuinely inwardly found small still voice that is our connection to the Divine, the voice that encourages, doesn't waver or give up on us, always loves us, wants to help us. When we call on that connection, then take the time to LISTEN to what the other part is saying, we get some valuable insight. What if Evan didn't build the boat, didn't believe in the Sept. 22, midday prediction from God? What if Noah didn't? What if the Noah's ark story isn't "real" (there are legends of a flood in many traditions, one of them being the Native Americans) but a metaphor. What, then, might the metaphor be for? If I think about it, for me it might be something about being true to ourselves and doing what we know to be right for ourselves, then doing it, no matter what. It might look weird or strange to others, or might not make sense, but if we could look at that expanded picture, we'd see that we need to make a change in direction right NOW because the bridge is out a few miles up the road.
So, check out "Evan Almighty" if you haven't already seen it. I was pleasantly surprised, and even found myself dancing energetically at the end, fired up for the rest of the day. What am I willing to do to make a difference in the world? Do my work for free? Run for School Board? Volunteer at Hospice again? Open an organic bake shop? I don't know - I don't know what's around the corner, but it's okay - I'm peaceful just to be sitting here this morning, looking at the beautiful sun shining outside, and extremely grateful to be alive and well.
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