Where's My Anchor - A Review of "Marley & Me"

- Marley & Me: a real-life story, but not just a "dog lovers" movie -

If you've viewed the flick, you'll find:

• family values - a sound marriage, 3 children, living life together
  
• contrast of life between the married guy and the single "world traveler" guy
• perseverance with real life situations
  
• real life - infertility, miscarriage, multiple children, sleep deprivation, husband/wife disagreements, in-laws, job dissatisfaction, job change
  
• choices and consequences
  

All of the above, along with the main characters made for an entertaining movie, and, I admit that towards the end, my eyes filled with wet matter (aka tears). Afterward I conversed with my date, the lovely Catherine Miller, and told her that I was bothered by something in the movie.

At first I was unable to voice the lingering distraction, but the more I replayed the highlights of the film in my mind, I realized that the movie did not show a key to the reason why this family enjoyed life. I had questions:

• how did the wife stick to her choice to be a full-time mom when she apparently was a very successful career woman?
  
• what enabled her to get past her emotions which contributed to some spontaneous, serious, intense spats with her husband?
• how did the husband persevere with his wife through the infertility, sleep deprivation?
• what drove him to believe he could be successful by moving his family 1,000 miles away from the current home and job for a new location and job?
  

Finally, the lightbulb turned on for me: The husband and wife both operated from a foundation of faith and hope that: 1) it all would either turn out okay, or, 2) they would just continue with life and make the most of the situation. But the movie's director chose not to reveal their source of their hope and their understanding of how the world works.

True, not blind, faith must have an object to be faithful to. A camper must secure his or her tent with anchors to ensure that it's not washed away by a sudden downpour. A homeowner in Florida relies on roof anchors screwed into the dwelling to prevent the loss of head covering during a tropical storm or hurricane.

Hope is more than just a feeling. I think you would agree that feelings change more than the weather.

So what object then is to be my focus for faith? What or who does not change?

If you are a Christian, then you may have read (from the ESV, all bolded text mine):

• OBJECT: "...but God shows his love for us in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

• OBJECT: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1

• TRUTH & HOPE: "...for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began..." - Titus 1:1-2

• ANCHOR: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor build it in vain..." - Psalm 127: 1

--CFM