Last night, I viewed a screening of About Time, a movie coming out in theaters soon. I had no idea what to expect. The movie is about a family where the males in the family have the gift of time travel. Throughout the film, the son learns about the triumphs and dangers of time travel.
About Time made me think and feel, a lot.
When the leading actor became more proficient in time travel and choosing when and why to go back in time, he would repeat a day to be able to live through experiences of which he already knew the outcome. Pretty soon, he phased out of that and decided to just enjoy life as each moment comes. This made me think about living life while trusting in the Lord.
We can truly enjoy each day, even if we don’t exactly know how situations will turn out when we trust in the Lord.
When we truly give a situation to God, and ask for his help, he will work it out for us. We can trust in him with confidence that he has heard us and has the best answers for us. Some people seem to doubt God’s loving character, wondering if God sent a trying situation to their lives to teach them something. If the same people would get to know God’s true character in real relationship with him, they would know he is a loving father worthy of their trust. Perhaps people who think God sends them trials to learn from didn’t have a great relationship with their earthly fathers. Hmm…just a thought.
In the movie About Time, we see the banter and playfulness the father and son have with each other. Some of us didn’t get to have such lighthearted relationships with our fathers. My father was never cruel to me, but he did battle with moodiness and perhaps depression from an accident resulting in multiple lasting wounds including a severe head injury. He was never the same after that. I was four years old and never knew his old, fun self.
As About Time unfolded, I found myself thinking about my relationship with my own father and thinking about good times we’ve had and wishing there had been more of those growing up. My father is still alive, but I don’t know for how much longer. He has gotten frail. During the movie I thought about what will it be like when he passes away. How will I feel? I will miss him. I will also miss the part of him I never got to have. The part of him that got trapped in his injuries from long ago. The part of him only my little girl self got to see but has long forgotten.
I think very often when someone grieves the loss of a loved one, they not only grieve who they lost but also what they wished they’d had with that person. It is important not to confuse the two when we are sad.
Overall, I thought the movie was very well done. If you see it and are prone to crying, bring some tissues. Don’t be afraid of it though, I think the tears the movie invokes are very healing. I think you will come away from the movie with a better attitude about life and enjoying each moment. I did. Thank you for letting me have my time of reflection. Please let me know what you think of the movie and what it made you think about.
Have a glorious day!
Leave a Reply