The Escape Plan

I have an escape plan. My escape plan does not usually help the situation; usually it just puts it aside for a moment, and allows me to step into someone else's shoes. It allows me to see the world from someone else's perspective. But mostly, my escape plan reminds me of hope and joy. When life gets particularly hard, I escape to another world. A world where the good guy always wins, a world sometimes full of animation, a world where people fall in love, a world where the end is usually another beautiful beginning, my world is a world of fiction.

If you haven't guessed, my escape plan is movies and books. One time when I was having a particularly bad day, and needed an escape, I walked into a theater and simply asked, "What movie is about to start?" The movie was Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, That was just poetic. There are other days when it has nothing to do with my mood, I just want to see a good movie; today was one of those days. I went with some friends to see Mr. Holmes. The movie was fantastic and it was filmed in a beautiful location, and oh yea, it was British. It was profound and truly beautiful, I left the theater with tear-stained cheeks and something to think about for a while.

My other escape plan, books, can really only happen during summer and winter break, so because I begin school in a couple of weeks, I am trying to finish all of the books that I have started since the Spring semester ended. The problem I have is that I keep beginning to read other books and never actually finish the ones I start. So in trying to finish one, I picked up another: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It was one of those books that I had been told I should read many times, but just couldn't get on the bandwagon. But I picked it up at the bookstore, and began to read. I read it cover to cover in about two days. It truly changed my life. It was a book about redemption. Redemption that seems to be only in the form of a man loving a woman, but in reality its about teaching a woman that she is worthy of being loved, not just by a man who adores her, but by God. The interesting thing is that God teaches the woman this through her husband. It was an unconditional type of love that was truly a gift from God.

Why is any of this important? I have had a good life, but for a long time I have found it hard to remember my own worth and at the same time to receive the grace and love of God. Interestingly, the books and movies have reminded me that God shows me my worth and ultimately, has shown me God's love through my friends and family. It wasn't what I anticipated, but for me it has been a source of redemption. 

My mom says, "God's timing is perfect, wait on God's timing."Often times, its hard to wait for God's timing, but my escape plan has shown me time and time again that I have all I need for right now, and the best thing that I can do is live my life to the fullest, and to love God and everyone around me. And for me, the best way that I know how to love those around me is to be present in their lives, and to allow them to be present in mine. I hope and pray that those whom I love will know how dearly loved and cared for they are, just as they have shown me how loved and cared for I am.