
I love the movie "August Rush." My wife and kids introduced it to me a few weeks back, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried like a baby! It was AWESOME! The story is about a young boy who is a musical prodigy. He grows up in an orphanage believing all the while that one day he will be FOUND by his true parents. He hears music all around him, and believes that the music is guiding him home. He ignores the ridicule of others in the orphanage and continues to believe that one day he will be reunited with his parents. Does he? You'll have to get the movie to find out!
In one scene Evan, the boy from the orphanage, is with a man named Wizard. Wizard asks him, "What do you want to be in the whole world? I mean the whole world. What do you want to be? Now close your eyes and think about that." August closes his eyes and thinks for a few seconds and then replies, "FOUND!"
The letter "F" in the word "FOUND" stands for "FAITH!" "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance in what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)
Evan had faith that he would be found. All he had was hope, but when hope is in the right Source it always sees results. His faith weathered disappointments, setbacks, and struggles, but he never stopped believing that what he hoped for would become reality. He saw and felt that hope in every moment that came his way. He heard hope in the wind, saw hope in the sky, and was determined to see it in every circumstance he faced, both good and bad. His faith was unwavering and his hope undeterred.
In James1:2-8 it tells us that we will face tough times in life. Why? Verse 3 in the message says it is because under pressure our "faith-life is forced out into the open and shows it's true colors." We tend to base our hope on what we can see, feel, experience, and get now. We get scared, quit, or find something to sooth our fear (compulsive behavior, addiction, or escape), and miss out on the fulfillment of the dream. True faith doesn't waver just because things don't happen as quickly as we'd like or because someone else doesn't believe in what we are doing. True Faith waits with anticipation, patience, and perseverance until what God promised becomes reality.
Evan dreamed of being found. Nothing and no one was going to change what he believed. Like Evan we all dream of being found. We desire to find our true purpose in this life. Not the purpose others dictate for us, but the purpose God intended we live out.
Our lives obviously aren't a movie. We will waver, stumble, doubt, and become discouraged. We may even come to a place where we think "Is this even worth it?" I've thought that recently myself. But we have to believe what we are pursuing is a God given assignment and PRESS ON!
Take a minute & go outside. Look around. Breathe in deeply and listen. Recall the promises of God to us through His Word. Recall all the times He's been faithful Listen and hear His voice. The voice that called all of what you hear and see into existence. His presence, IN YOU, will assure you that faith in Him through His Son Jesus Christ will, both now and for all eternity, be reality! You can be FOUND!
(Hebrews 11; James 1:1-8; Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 8:28;Philippians 1:16)