28 Sep 05 - American Beauty

Life is like a candle that flickers for a moment and dies off.

Yesterday, I watched “American Beauty” together with Angelina. It is a movie about dysfunctional families that are searching for meaning in life expressed in different ways. The mother was career-minded and had an extra-martial affair, the father was ‘loser’ who lost his job and ‘fell in love’ with his daughter’s friend, the daughter was distancing herself from her parents. Her friend who thought that she was the most ‘beautiful’ woman on earth said that the worst thing in life is being ordinary and she boasted about her great exploits with men. There was another ‘sick’ family. The son was a dope who earned extras by selling drugs and his father who was a colonel in the navy was actually a gay….

Life was complicated in this story and I felt very sad after watching in movie. I believe this movie reflects the reality in life now. Everyone is seeking meaning and love in their life and each one of them is trying to find them in their own way to significance in life. Everyone is sick and we need the doctor to make us well again. It is something simple that everyone is looking for in life but yet many fail big time in life.

Where is the real source of life?

If we just look deep within us we will discover how wretched we are and that we need someone to rescue us from the mire and mud. We need someone absolute who will clean, love and nurture us. He is near if only we seek Him.

“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;

I will guide him and restore comfort to him,

Creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel.

Peace, peace to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”

Isaiah 57:18-19

The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strength your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11