Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Raising a family with *Courage*

A new movie is coming out soon and I am recommending you *make a date* with your beloved to see it - together.

It’s one of those films that have the potential to change lives.  

Families can be re-made and relationships built on what God intends for all of us.  
Freedom can be found to live your own story, even in the wake of lack. 

It isn’t easy to raise a family.  There isn’t a rule book to follow and it can be frustrating to think we’re making any difference in the lives of our children.  It’s especially challenging to be a parent when we’ve experienced messed up childhoods from our own parents who abandoned us, or who failed to step up to the challenge of being there for us when we were children.

Through the years of living, we tend to become like those we know and when all we know is a parent with a good enough attitude at best, complacency in our own lives can surface.  And with the world becoming busier, excuses not to make time for our family are becoming acceptable. 

God wants to use every bit of our stories for purpose.

Even the parts where we’ve been wounded and we don’t know how much our state of living has become a reflection of our pain. 

I have seen family schedules filled and time together tossed to the wayside.  And often times, busyness is a hideaway from our own pains of disappointment of our relationships with our own parents that fail to model sacrifice.  The hurts we carry around are so big and we feel so incapable of parenting.   

A heart desiring God’s will is the heart of the soon-to-be-released movie, Courageous.  Men encourage men to want the best for their kids and to answer the call to stay and give fatherhood their all, even in spite of their own wounded hearts and fears that they aren’t good enough

This film isn’t just for fathers.  It’s for mothers.  And it’s for children.  It’s a message of hope for all families and all generations. 

Broken hearts can find comfort in Seeing how stories are used for purpose.  Willing hearts can find peace in Seeing that parenting is worth the cost, and God – our ultimate Father – can give us direction.  He enables us to fill our roles.

In the movie, Courageous, father’s trying to do their best for God encourage other father’s to See Our Father’s Hand in our lives - to seek His will for our lives, and our children’s lives.  Love is when we put God first and when we inspire others to do the same. 

In this day and age of hectic schedules becoming an epidemic, it’s refreshing to see a film that encourages others to courageously give the best of themselves to their families and not to give up - no matter what.  

You can watch the trailer and learn more about the movie at DaySpring's Courageous landing page.

Mark it on your calendar:

          Courageous
             September 30
             In theaters near you 

Disclaimer: I was asked to write a review of the pre-release for the film; my reflections are exclusively my own. 




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