I hesitate to name my favorite book, my favorite musician or my favorite movie. Mainly because I don't have one favorite. How can a person pick one favorite when that person is multi-dimensional, dynamic and ever-changing? It would be like bearing children and picking one as your favorite. There's no way. In my case, I don't love my children the same. Please hear me... I love each of my children equally, but not the same. Not the same because they are unique. But I cannot measure the love in any way. I can only say I love each of them for who they are. If someone says they love their children all the same, they are lying. Each child comes into this world with his or her own make-up, gifts, challenges, and so on. Each of my boys have much they offer. So much to give. So much life. But that life is unique in each of them, and I've fallen in love with their uniqueness. So it is with books, movies, or the arts.
All this pre-ramble to say I have a new "favorite" in the movie department.
August Rush.
It rocked - pun, intended. I won't go into the plot except to say a little boy is looking for his parents... and he's musically gifted. Incredibly so.
It is one of those movies where you find yourself cheering for the characters as they make good decisions. And yelling at the screen when they make bad ones. You find your heart aching in both sadness and happiness. Like a good book, you want to see how it ends, but you're sad when it's over. You want to peer into the lives of the characters long after the credits roll
I am keenly aware of the music in movies and there's no way I could miss the music in this one because the whole movie revolves around it. So, I recently downloaded the soundtrack. To my delight, the first track featured some of my favorite quotes inserted into the music.
August Rush says: "I believe in music the way that some people believe in fairy tales. I like to imagine what I hear came from my mother and father. Maybe the notes I hear are the same ones they heard the night they met. Maybe that's how they found each other. Maybe that's how they'll find me. I believe that once upon a time, long ago, they heard the music and followed it."
Profound for a small boy. Profound for a grown woman.
If that quote were my own, I might say, "I believe in story the way some people believe in magic. I like to imagine that what I hear in someone else's story is God speaking to my soul, piercing my heart with another human being's failures and triumphs. Maybe the story I tell will touch another soul. I believe that when we speak with honesty and humility, we will find God and start following Him. Really following him as He shares with us the Ultimate Story -- better than any word, paint stroke, musical note or magical energy -- where we all find out what it means to be found... and whole."
The quote is not necessarily parallel to August's, yet it is about my passion. August's passion was music and he believed he would be found through music. I believe I am found through Story. My hope is that those who read this will understand more of their own stories and how important it is for you to tell your story.
You come with a soul that is whole. For now it may be tattered and torn a little. Or a lot. But like musical notes, the parts are just that - parts, segments, pieces - until they are put together to make a beautiful song, and maybe even a symphony. No not maybe. Definitely a symphony -- with all its parts working together to form a harmonious composition. May your life continue to reveal the glorious Story God intended for you and only you!