In an effort to try to do more things together we folded laundry and watched Evan Almighty together. Being big Office fans we wanted to see how Steve Carell would fare in this film. Overall I liked the film. There were elements I didn't care for, but a few things really stuck out.
The idea of putting Noah in a modern day setting actually worked well in the film. I really liked when God was speaking to the wife and said if someone prays for patience I can't just give him patience without giving him the opportunity to be more patient. The concept really hit home with me. The only way some of these things happen in our lives is if we have the experiences. My own capacity to empathy for those that have lost a loved one has increased ten fold in the past year.
The other thing that really made me think was Noah building the ark and no one believing him, yet he knew that he was divinely appointed to do it. This is another interesting concept to consider. If you know of a surety that what you are doing is right then you would suffer as did Noah in the film all manner of persecution and still have the compassion to say "Get on the ark" when the rains come.
A final note from tonight comes from a moment with Porter. He and Natalie were fighting over a popcorn ball. Janalynn told them they could have it if they shared it. Natalie was all for the share, but Porter, because Natalie had hurt him, was not. He and I talked about it. I said would you rather have me throw it away or cut it in half. He just replied, "Don't cut it in half." He continued to throw a fit and really I was getting nowhere. I finally said you won't get it if you keep crying. He stopped. I tried a different tactic. I asked, "What would a good boy do with the popcorn ball?" He said, "Share it." "Do you want to be a good boy?" "Yes" I guess that positive reinforcement does have its place. Deep down I think all of us really want to be good.
No comments:
Post a Comment