Lady in the Water (2006)
Once, man and those in the water were linked. They inspired us. They spoke of the future. Man listened and it became real. But man does not listen very well. Man's need to own everything led him deeper into land. The world of man became more violent. War upon war played out, as there were no guides to listen to. Now those in the water are trying again... trying to reach us. They need only be glimpsed... and the awakening of man will happen. But their enemies roam the land. Yet still they try... try to help man. But man may have forgotten how to listen...
The movie starts out with a narration. One thing that hit me and stuck out was “Man does not listen well.” The narration goes on to say that at one time, we were inspired and listened. As we did what we wanted, our world became violent. “Man has forgotten how to listen.”
How many correlations can we make on these thoughts? The obvious one is God’s voice and inspiration in our own lives. As I listened to this opening, I immediately thought of my own life and found myself apologizing for continually muting God and making my own decisions.
The main character runs into this woman who he has taken under his wing to protect and help. She is a beautiful woman in distress who gives the main character the title of the “Protector.” In the movie there is an old fairytale that happens to be this young woman’s story which unfolds with the movie. A group of people, all having different titles and roles, have to do things right to ensure her safety. The main character’s back story is he was a doctor who lost his entire family one night when a thief broke in and killed them. He feels responsible for their death because he was not there to protect them. Now this character has limited information to work with but knows that he is to find all characters of this “fairytale” all while protecting the young woman. One thought in the movie was, the moral of a bedtime story is that no one is ever told who they are.
This again reminded me of my own life. How do I know what path I am to follow? How can I know that I am in the right place? This main character found out the hard way that he had things wrong. He was not “The Protector” as he thought he was. He ended up being “The Healer.” Those of us watching the movie can see why. He used to be a doctor, a natural healer. The circumstances of his life forced him to think he was a protector. He felt responsible and ashamed at losing his family and wanted to protect this young woman. He was not able to fulfill his true purpose until he forgave himself. Until he let go of the torment he put himself through and accept his true role, he was going to continue getting things wrong and feel lost.
In this character’s case, he wanted an opportunity to redeem himself on behalf of his family. This woman in need was his chance. She also helped solidify this by calling him “The Protector.” We must be careful who and what we listen to. The main character was never supposed to be “The Protector” but called to be “The Healer.”
Looking back on my life, I know I have let people influence me with titles and words that seemed to fit my situation more than it fit my purpose. Since being down here in San Diego, I have done a lot of growing and understanding.
Here is a story that happened to me one night. I went out on a date and ended up in Pacific Beach, which is where all the college students go to party and enjoy the beach. As we walk along the walkway a drunken guy yells out “Jesus loves you.” I tell him that Jesus loves him too and to have a good night. He then runs up to us and asks if he could pray with us. Now there are two other guys with him and all I can think was that prayer was the last thing on their mind. So I tell this guy sure and pay more attention to him than what is being said. As I look up, he has tears streaming down his face and saying one of the most heartfelt prayers I have ever heard. He even has a word for me, which at the time I definitely needed to hear (I questioned my decision to move to San Diego regularly before this incident). As he closes his prayer he thanks us for stopping with him and more importantly praying with him. He tells me that he is just a sinner who can’t seem to get things right, regardless of how hard he tries. He closes by asking us to take care of each other and to continue to be a blessing in others’ lives. Because sometimes, stopping to give someone time is all it takes to save their lives.
This floored me. In our busy lives we quickly try to race past the person asking for a handout or avoid them all together. We look at ourselves as above these people because we have a job and a roof over our heads. Or maybe it’s just me. But who did Jesus associate himself with, lepers, “losers,” the sick and lowly. All those that the rest of the people avoided. You never know who will have a message for you. You will never know who God will use to give you a message. You could miss out on something big by listening to your own voice or even the encouragement of others.
As in the case of this movie, sometimes we need an unsuspecting angel to come in and remind us of what our purpose and path should be.
- John Olague
10/14/08
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