Endurance

While we were in Rexburg we had the opportunity to see the movie,  The Impossible. It is a gripping, intense depiction of one family's fight for survival during the tsunami that hit Indonesia and Thailand on December 26, 2008 (I think it was 2008). The movie was intense with incredible special effects and stunt work. A few times during the show, I found myself gripping Dave's hand a little harder than he probably liked.

But what I really want to talk about are some of the thoughts I had while watching this film. First, I thought I really need to get Carson and Katelyn into a master's swim class to improve their swimming skills. I immediately worried about Katelyn and would she be able to overcome her fear of open water in order to survive.

That thought of Katelyn left me wondering if we had taught them enough about enduring. Had we provided them with enough experiences that demonstrated the importance of persevering, working hard, and fighting through pain, exhaustion, boredom, etc? I wanted to believe that the monotony of pulling weeds every summer or raking rocks or shovelling snow taught Katelyn and Carson that it is important to just keep going, no matter the obstacle or how stuck the weed is, and never quit until the job is completed.

Thinking of Katelyn, I also wondered had we taught them how to keep their wits about them during a crisis. Had they seen us keep our cool when in a pressure situation? I grew up in a household where a crisis meant keeping your head screwed on straight so that you could make good decisions and seek for a resolution. I didn't realize that this wasn't everyone's reality until my brother's first wife came along. I will never forget the time that their preschool-aged daughter fell down the concrete steps and cut her head open. That mother was hysterical and completely useless in that situation. She couldn't even get her daughter inside so we could put pressure on the wound and assess the situation. It was so ridiculous.

So I wondered if we had taught Katelyn and Carson how to keep it together when faced with stress beyond which they think they can bear. Were we good examples of how to react to stressful, intense situations? Were the building blocks there for them to access when needed?

Have we taught them sufficiently to draw strength from the Lord? Do they truly believe the scripture that says All things are possible through Christ who strengthens us? That is where my final thoughts went. This is the one I worry about the most. I worry that we, Dave and I, have been sorely deficient in our parental responsibility of teaching our children of Heavenly Father and Christ. I worry that because of this deficiency when situations get tough, Katelyn and Carson will not know (or won't remember because there wasn't enough repition) to turn to Christ for aid.

Having all those thoughts moving in and out of my head while watching the movie probably increased the intensity tenfold. I am glad that the movie had a happy ending. It brought a small amount of relief to my worried mind.

After having a couple of weeks to reflect on the thoughts and feelings I had during the movie, I have come to realize that Katelyn and Carson are strong young adults. They deserve to know that I have confidence in them. I know that they are brave. I know they are hard-workers (weed-pulling duties notwithstanding). I know they can endure hard things. I know that each, in their own way, believes and trusts in God and would know how to turn to Him in tough times.