The Road Less Traveled
This past weekend my wife and I saw The Road. We had both read the amazing Pullitzer Prize winning novel and were very excited to see the film.
Like always, the book was better than the film, but the film did not disappoint.
The movie was able to retain the plot, purpose, and feel of the novel. It was beautifully done and gave a new depth to the already perfect book.
The book, and the movie, are about a man and his young son in a post-apocolyptic America trying to make it to the Southeastern shore to find possible warmer weather, food, and maybe even a bit of humanity. They have to fight hunger, sickness, thieves, and cannabilistic marauders in order to make their journey.
The essence of the story, without ruining it for anyone, was, “How far would you be willing to go to protect your child?”
And in the story, the dad, has to be willing to take his own son’s life with the mercy of a bullet through his brains in order to protect him from pediphiliac cannibals.
All along as I rea this book, I was the father, and my son was the boy.
It made me realize how much I love my family, the unique love I have for my children, and the horrific lengths I would go through to protect them from agonizing harm. What would I be willing to do? And whether it is right or wrong, I think I would be willing to do anything. But yet in order to protect my children’s future integrity and relationship with Christ, I would have to make sure that the lengths I would go to protect my children would be honoring to God and be in the best interest of not only them and my family, but my fellow man as well.
I pray to God I never have to make any gut-wrenching decisions like this, bit having to do so, and making the right ones, are often ‘The Road’ less traveled.
In Kindergarten I was officially voted 'Most Inquisitive'.
I have been asking questions ever since as I believe that they are the catalyst to discovering the world all around us.
The answers to these questions have led me into an everlasting committed relationship with Jesus Christ, into a marriage with the love of my life, and into being the father of the two most beautiful children on earth.
It is my personal mission to glorify God with my life, advance His Kingdom through my ministry, and to love my family with everything I have.
I am the Pastor at Fellowship Church in Salem, Oregon and these are my thoughts on life.
As I read the book, I also envisioned myself as the father’s character and my son as the son’s character. I felt myself emotionally connected all throughout the book. It was a powerful and often overwhelming experience. And the film, I thought, expressed that same emotion (though it had a smaller impact on me since I had already read the book and knew the outcome). Both the film and the book were incredible and I’ve been trying to convince everyone I know to go and see it.