by Rebecca Price
It’s no secret, I am an animal lover. You can generally find me talking gibberish to one, or all, of our 3 dogs. I coo at our cats, and have been known to pick up a snake or two and carry them off to safety in the fields by our house. I try to instill a sense of respect and love for animals in my girls so that they can experience the largest and smallest of God’s creatures with a sense of awe. So it should come as no surprise to discover that the story of Noah’s mission, to save 2 of every kind of animal, has always left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside –because he saves the animals, not because of the whole flood thing- yikes!
With all of the wonderful rain we’ve been having –thank you Jesus - I began to ponder a favorite film adaptation of mine with a modern-day Noah. “Evan Almighty” is such a great film, and not because it has a faithful interpretation of the biblical story of Noah, but because it is an honest expression of the failings of the human heart. It exposes our reluctance and often, our down-right refusal to walk in obedience with a Father that never waivers in His love for us.
I have just finished my second official Bible study…ever. Not only have I gained biblical wisdom, but I have met women who support me as I struggle to understand what it truly means to walk with Him. As Morgan Freeman’s “God” so beautifully tells Evan, “this is the beginning of wisdom,” and I cannot help but hear that again and again in my mind, as I learn about God’s desires for my life.
Needless to say, Evan argues, whines and stumbles his way through the mission God has given him. He wants to “change the world,” but only on his own terms. How many times, on a daily basis, are we guilty of this same thing?! We say that we are open to what He has planned for us, but when it comes time to start paddling the boat, we are still tethered to the dock. Let’s face it, we’re happy there, and our feet tend to remain firmly planted on that deck. We try to redirect, and somehow, out-think our Creator. There is a fantastic scene where Even decides that rather than wear the robe God has so kindly hung up for him, he is going to attempt to “hide” it under his usual suit and tie. Does it end well? Did “the student become the teacher”? Uh, nope, and Evan is humbled into obedience.
Why must we always fight what God has put before us? Why do we reject what we have asked Him to do in and through us? I don’t know really, but I’m guessing it is simply part of our human nature; to be stubborn, fickle children. We want to take that boat ride with Him, but we don’t trust Him to deliver us to the other side of the lake safely.
Eventually Evan relents, builds a biblical-sized boat, and manages to keep his suburbia-neighbors afloat – literally. But my favorite scene comes at the end. Evan meets God at the top of a hill, under an old, friendly tree, surrounded by beautiful green fields. Evan confesses that he has fought God tooth and nail, yet God is pleased with him because he has acted in obedience and moved. “You did good son,” God says.
May He one day be able to say the same to me, to all who claim to love and follow Him, and may it be true of FPC.