Freedom!!!

There are only a few movies that make me cry. Yes! It's true. I do cry. I know many of you were thinking that you could replace "Chris Walters" with "Chuck Norris" in the hilarious quip "I heard Chuck Norris's tears could cure cancer... Too bad he never cries..." Well, I haven't submitted my tears to a medical research lab to see if they could cure cancer or not, but I certainly do cry. NOT OFTEN! Let me at least hang on to that little bit of masculinity so that no one thinks I'm what some might call a complete "sensie" (overly sensitive male). But back to the topic at hand.

There are a few movies that make me cry every time I watch them. One that gets me every time is the Mel Gibson classic "The Patriot". You all know what scene I'm talking about if you've seen that movie. Not to ruin it for anyone who hasn't (which there is NO WAY me explaining this scene to anyone who hasn't seen the movie would ruin it for them, it's too beautiful) but it's when his youngest daughter who hasn't spoken a word to him this whole movie runs towards him as he is riding away on his horse with tears, and the cutest pigtails look ever, saying "Daddy, don't go! I'll say anything you want, just please don't go!" Oh man... Every time it gets me! I could try to think of the manliest thoughts in the world as I watch that scene, yet that girl would crack me as a pair of eggs ready to make breakfast every time! Makes me hope and pray every time I see it that God is calling me to be a father...

Other movies include:

-"The Lord of the Rings: The fellowship of the ring" when Boromir continues fighting despite falling and failing his comrades just a few scenes prior, to save the life of Frodo whom he was almost attacking in the scene mentioned, as he has arrows shot into him repeatedly. That fight and resolve I hope is the same fight and resolve I have towards fighting the good fight for the Kingdom of Heaven, despite what falls I may have and arrows I take from the enemy.

-"A Walk to Remember"... yeah, I know, you may take my man card away from me for mentioning this, but hey, I'm not afraid of admitting the truth. Besides, I still hold my boyhood crush on Mandy Moore. How could I not cry with what happens to her character?

-"Man on Fire" The ending, with Denzel Washington and that embrace on the bridge where he says "with all my heart". Makes me think of what an embrace with Jesus Christ Himself would be. And how hard Jesus Christ will fight to save that one lost sheep... Well, without all the killing and unnecessary violence of course.

-Why not give a shout out to a couple animated greats! "Finding Nemo" How could you not cry at the beginning with what happens to that fish's family!?!?!? And to see that Dad's love for his son. Wow! I have no doubt my father loves me that much! Both my earthly and especially my heavenly! "Up" Man, PIXAR really just wants to get the water works within the first five minutes of their movies huh? To see the love that man had for his wife, again, makes me hope God calls me to marriage so that I can image that same love for my own wife! And to do something great for her too! And I'll even throw in "Hercules" to this. I love this movie! And I have teared up at the fact that Hercules desires with all his heart to find where he belongs and will do GREAT things to get there, even sacrifice great things! And to sacrifice even his own life for love.... Sounds kind of like Jesus huh? Except I'm sure Jesus didn't ride around on a mythical creature like Pegasus. Nor did he have such hilarious snoring habits as a baby with that same mythical creature. (Hercules: "Snorrreeee..." Pegasus: "Weeweeweeweeweewee"...

-"Armageddon" With that ending, where Bruce Willis is talking to his daughter Liv Tyler while he's on the asteroid. The things he says and the love he has right before he makes such a great sacrifice makes the magnanimity in my heart burn within me that I may, one day, be able to make such a great sacrifice out of love for some one else. To imitate the love of Christ.

-There are plenty of others too (please don't make fun of me for admitting there are plenty of movies that make me cry). Such as "Remember the Titans". What happens to Gary, and what happens after that. "Cinderella Man" or "Gladiator". Russell Crowe portrays a man of sacrifice very well! How could I not mention "The Passion of Christ"? The story of Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection? Cry every time! And I'm sure, if I really put some thought into it I could think of others.

But the one movie that I really love. The one movie that I have watched 3 times within a 24 hour period and still could have watched it a 4th. The one movie that any time it is on TV in any way, I will sit down and watch the whole thing despite the length of this movie being a shade under 3 hours. The movie that could make me cry in several different spots. This movie being none other than "Braveheart". Yes, another Mel Gibson movie. And the movie that holds the quote that this blog is entitled for: at the end when William Wallace shouts with all that he has left, the one thing that he has given everything fighting for... Freedom!!! I love this movie.

The quote that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MOST in this movie is at the beginning, when, in a dream, William Wallace's dad says to him as a little boy: "Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it." And I bring that up because that is what I want to talk about as the meat of this blog. Except, I have a different quote that lays closer to the bone. And that is from St. Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verses 13 and 14 where he says:

"For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not use your freedom as a pretext for living according to the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law finds its fullness in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

This... This is what life is all about. For the greatest gift, I believe, that God has given us all is the gift of life. And, just after that, the greatest gift He has given us is the freedom to choose. That we were called to freedom. That one word William Wallace yells at the end of "Braveheart". The thing that resides on all our hearts, we must have the courage to follow it. The thing that justifies the first greatest gift God has given us, our own life. Freedom.

My question is: How are you living this freedom?

Are you living it as Paul exhorts us not to? According to the flesh? Are you living your freedom in such a way that you give into the desires and wants of the flesh? Are you freely feeding the disordered desires of your heart? Giving into whatever sensual cravings your bodily being desires? Whether that be lust, or gluttony, or sloth, or greed, or envy, or anger, or pride? Selfishly seeking and doing what you can to please yourself so that you can be "happy" or "fulfilled"... This "freedom" ends up being more of an enslavement, for how many of us are enslaved to these desires and choose them out of our attachments to them rather than out of the freedom of our own heart.

Or do you live a heroic freedom? A freedom that brings others to tears as they witness with wonder and awe? A freedom that movies glorify to make epics that captivate audiences? A freedom that brings true fulfillment and true happiness? A freedom that imitates the very act of our God made man in Jesus Christ? The freedom to sacrifice...

As I thought of all the movies that make me cry, I couldn't help but wonder why these films would bring me to tears. And, I realized, that in every movie, in every scene that would make me cry, it was because of one thing. Sacrifice. The character freely choosing to sacrifice for the good of another. Every time I witness this act, I get all choked up.

For once, Hollywood has gotten something right. And that is that they have realized this truth. The beauty of sacrifice, and freely choosing this. They have realized how this has been written on the human heart. As St. Paul says "For you were called to freedom..." We have all been called to this freedom to sacrifice and it is written on our hearts. And it was lived out for us in the greatest way imaginable with God made man offering Himself up freely for the sake of all of us on the Cross with Jesus Christ's Crucifixion. This heroic love. As Christ Himself says: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15: 13)

This is heroic love... This is true freedom... This is what we are called to... This is what fulfills us...

If we live our freedom in a way where we "live according to the flesh", we will end up enslaved and unfulfilled. Our freedom will be taken away from us, and we will be constantly searching for joy and happiness and never finding it.

But, if we have the courage to live out our freedom in such a way where we truly sacrifice ourselves out of love for another. If we love our neighbor as we love ourself. If we choose to live for others and love others in such a way where we sacrifice feeding the desires of our flesh, to feed the freedom of their hearts and souls, what great fulfillment and joy we will find! What freedom we will live!

Yes, it is hard. And yes, it takes great courage. A hero's courage. But, as I heard in a movie once, nothing worth having comes easy. It is not easy... But it is most certainly worth it!

So again, I ask: How are you living this freedom?

And I end by using that great quote from "Braveheart":

"Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it."