Background: We took the kids to see The Croods. Great movie, here’s my takeaway.
Some people cry off of a good drama. You know the kind of movies with unfortunate endings. Well I find myself in tears at some point in almost every animated film we watch with our kids. It’s puzzling, but they speak so strongly to me. I don’t know how these writers pack so much deep thought into these movies, on top of the stunning graphics. Well, the tears this time were brought on by the revelation that hiding is not living, and facing the world, as dangerous and unforgiving as it is, is your best chance at survival. And there is a difference between just surviving and living.
The P31 is pictured as a woman that got into the mix of life. She interacted with merchants who probably came from far and near. She chose to buy foods that are not native to where she lives. She helped those that others may have simply passed by. Her interactions with the world around her make her wiser, more interesting, and more knowledgeable. Those interactions make her more beautiful. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as we make our way through life, each event and person we experience chisel away the rock we came from, to eventually display something so much more beautiful. Life can bring hard situations that may chip or break away pieces of us, but this makes us even more unique and rare.
Verse 10 says that the price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies. Gems come from rocks. The verse doesn’t say anything about the price of rocks. Gems, once removed from their rocks, are subjected to cutting and other techniques to enhance their color and clarity. The same is true for us. Although the world can be harsh, our God ensures that it doesn’t destroy us, but make us better. Hiding all the beauty and talent that is inside of you with the purpose of keeping it “safe”, is not living at all. How will you discover all that you are capable of doing? Will you fail? More than likely, but failure isn’t a reason to quit and the fear of failure should never be a reason to not try.
Hiding leads to extinction. The world can never benefit from your ideas and character if you never interact with it. Explore new places and things, you may discover something new within yourself that makes you more valuable than before.
References: Proverbs 31:10,14,20,24. The Croods (2013). And a little bit of Wikipedia on jewels and diamonds.
