Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Strive to be Courageous

Courageous is a movie that has recently been released on DVD. It follows the story of 4 police officers who decide to radically change their roles as fathers and husbands after an unexpected tragedy. After this life altering event, one of the men, Adam, notices the distance that exists between him and his son. These circumstances cause him to create an agreement between himself, his family and the Lord. In asking his fellow officers and friends to keep him accountable, each of them decides to commit themselves to this agreement. Through the course of the movie, the importance of having a strong positive male role model is strongly pushed. This is a movie that will speak to the hearts of men, women, parents and children.



As referenced in earlier posts, our class has just finished reading the book Hurt People, Hurt People by Sandra Wilson. While there are many nuggets of wisdom that can be taken from this book, one that is particularly emphasized is how parents play a key role in the lives of their children. Parents help to shape the worldview that children have, and teach them how to respond to life’s ever-occurring events. Research continues to show the importance that a positive male role model has in a child’s life. Wilson also emphasizes the importance of change in our lives and this movie definitely emphasized change. Adam stepped up to fulfill the role of a biblical father and husband. He researched areas of the importance that a father has in the lives of his children and then he took the steps to make those changes in his life. Adam saw the need for change, and took the action required of him to do it. 


I think that Courageous was an excellent movie. It honestly showed the heartbreaks that can occur in a family when tragedy strikes. I think that the role of a father is important in the healthy development of his children. This is not to say that children who do not have fathers will develop unhealthy lives, but there is a strong impact that the presence of a father can make. This movie does an excellent job portraying different types of fathers, husbands and men. I think this movie also helped show that it is never too late to change; it’s not too late to take that step and gain a deeper relationship with your spouse and children.



4 comments:

  1. I recently saw that movie, and I thought it was excellent! I think our society typically downplays the role of a father in an individual’s life. So often, many children only have one parent raising them, but God designed for two parents to pour into the lives of their children by parenting them, loving them, and teaching them how to live righteous and responsible lives. We as Christians are all called to invest in the lives of those around us, and for fathers, this means pouring themselves into their children and wives. One comment that was made in the movie was that many of the people who get arrested would not be in trouble with the law if they only had fathers who loved them and were involved in their lives, and I could not help but agree.

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  2. It truly is so astounding how much fathers impact the lives of kids, teens, and adults. Many problems people face often stem from a root problem involving ones father. Satan wanted the leadership of men to fail since Adam and has been working to destroy it since. It is always important to remember that no matter how bad of an example ones father may be or the lack of ones father, Christ is our ultimate example and there is hope found in Him. When we look to the example of Jesus Christ and God our father, we can find strength to live in the right direction. Thank you for the reminder!

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  3. I have not seen this movie yet but after reading your description I definitely do agree that fathers have a very strong impact on their children. I worked at a domestic violence shelter for the past year and it was always heartbreaking to see children so confused over how the person who was supposed to love them was also the person who hurt them and/or their mothers. I worked with several young boys who told me, in response to being confronted for hitting and yelling at others, that "this is what real men do, and I'm going to be a real man, like my dad." This was a common rationale for violence among the children, boys in particular, and that is just one illustration of what a powerful impact that fathers can have on their children.

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  4. I too loved this movie! It speaks a message that needs to be heard today. There is a story about elephants that very much so relates to this topic. When a young bull elephant starts to act up the older bull elephants step in and teach him a lesson. However, in the case where these older bull elephants are not present the younger bull elephants will go crazy. This is often true of humans. We need a strong male figure to lead us, stand up for truth, and discipline us when we step out. The model for fathers is God Himself. Clearly God considers the role of a father to be very important. I encourage men to seek God and be courages in a world that desperately needs to see this godly example of a father and a Christian man.

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