gaining courage.

A while back we watched the movie “Courageous” with some friends. My expectations were pretty low, having seen “Fireproof” already. Don’t think I’m a complete hater, because I do agree – the content was great. Given as a message, it definitely meets expectations. Shown as a sermon illustration, there are really good opportunities. I know it challenged men everywhere, and strengthened marriages.

But as a movie – plllllt. I’m not a film critic, and don’t know much about cinematography. All I know is, I love to watch good movies. That was not one of them.

Back to the main topic. Courageous was much better than Fireproof, thankfully. (no Kirk Cameron helped a lot) Still was glad I didn’t pay $10 to see it in a theater, but it was enjoyable, funny, moments that caught me off guard, and a great message.

In one scene, (spoiler alert) a father takes his teenage daughter out for a really nice dinner. He communicates his love to her, and does a pretty good job asking her to remain pure until marriage. I mentally high-fived the guy, because it’s a great picture of parenting a teenage girl. Too often, parents will “send” their teens to a purity event/talk with a bunch of their peers, and the girls come home with ring-power, and a flimsy commitment to do what is socially acceptable. This is the type of conversation/commitment that happens best in the context of a loving family environment – not loud music and a charismatic speaker.

I don’t have teenage daughters, yet. But I do have 3 incredible girls, who I want to become women who love God anywhere near how their mother does. I cannot hope that will happen simply because we share a home with them. I also don’t want to wait until they become teens, and then take them out for a nice dinner, dumping a whole lot of parenting into one moment. Someday, I’ll share a similar talk with my daughters, and Lord willing it will come as a natural progression in our releasing them into adult-hood. Not as an awkward, “oops, forgot…you should know this too.”

I want my daughters to grow up each day knowing they’re loved, and have a safe environment for them to become who they are in Christ. The more solid that foundation is, the less they’ll feel the need to look elsewhere for affirmation and identity. I recognize it’s never a 100% guarantee…but I think we’re off to a pretty good start. 🙂