Little Women

On Saturday Haeyoung brought home the movie "Little Women" to watch with the girls.

I don't know why, but I never read the book when I was young but I decided that I wanted to read it before I watched the movie. So I woke up early on Sunday morning and started reading. I read, and read, and read. I laughed, I cried, I threw a pillow and I drove Carmen and Lisel crazy making predictions.

Finally I finished. I loved it! The book is well written, has dynamic characters, good morals, and experiences that everyone can relate to.

Then came time to watch the movie, I was so excited to see the characters and the plot played out.

And I was so disappointed.

Seriously. I was really disappointed. Actually I think the word I used was deceived. How dare those movie people take such a good book and ruin it! The best parts were taken out, everything was out of order and squished together, some parts were invented, and the characters didn't look anything like they looked in my imagination.

Just another lesson that the book is always better than the movie.
Sigh.
That's how it is in my life too. I read the Bible and I get so encouraged by the people who make up those pages.

Ester: she risked her own life to save her people
Ruth: she left her family behind to follow God
Paul: he faced ship-wrecks, a bite by a poisonous snake, 40-lashes minus one, and imprisonment and yet still wrote one of the most "joyful" books of the Bible (Philippians)
David: he was a man after God's own heart
Daniel: he slept with the lions

Countless men and women who have walked before me and found favor in the Lord's eyes. And then I try and feel like a failure.

The book is better than the movie.
I want to live without fear, full of joy, facing the trials head-on. But sometimes just getting out of bed in the morning is a chore. I want to write and encourage and speak truth into people's lives but first I have to pull the log out of my own eye.

And yet some day I will get there. Maybe I won't be asked to walk in the fire, or to lead an army, or be imprisoned. But I will do something great. I know this because we will all do something great.

God wants us to be great for Him. He wants us to be brave for Him. He wants us to serve Him.

And we will, we will. In His perfect timing.

Someday my movie will be just as good as the book.