Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
My friend, who had read the book, failed to inform me that I would need tissues
Reference: v.3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: I’m not known to be a crier. I prefer to keep my deeper emotions to times of privacy, and I feel uncomfortable crying in public. I actually pride myself in not crying during movies.
That being said, it is clear to say that last week I was not proud of myself!
I went to the movie premiere of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Without giving anything away, this movie is about a child whose father dies in the 9/11 twin tower attacks. Needless to say, it was incredibly emotional.
My friend, who had read the book, failed to inform me that I would need tissues, and so I just had tears streaming down my face for almost half of the movie.
Pushing the emotional crying aside, I have to say it was one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. The young boy who played the main character was truly brilliant, and the way they had brought the movie script to life from the original book was genius.
Having been so touched by the movie, I promptly jumped on Facebook and informed everyone about it. I called my sister and offered to take her to see it as I thought she would love it too. Every time I speak to someone about the cinema, I will bring up this movie and encourage them to see it too.
Application: I find it so easy to recommend a great movie that has truly moved me. However, when it comes to talking about Jesus – the One who has completely transformed my life and my destiny – I find that I struggle to be forthcoming.
I love how the Psalmist instructs us to sing at all times and declare God to all the nations. This is truly a great calling.
God means so much more to me than a great film and I am challenged to be just as verbose about God’s glory as a talented actor.
Prayer: Lord, You are truly the best thing in my life. May I act and speak out Your glory for all to see. Amen.
How can you ‘declare’ God’s glory in your day today?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.