And I would have stayed up with you all night

This blog post has been on my mind for the past couple of days and putting it down is going to be hard so bare with me here. If you noticed (now you will) the title of this song is from The Fray, on a huge side note they are coming to LU and yea (im not going). But anyways this has been on my mind recently, here let me give you some back story.

So this weekend was the home opener for LU Baseball. I love Baseball. I love Baseball weather. Everything about baseball is great, and honestly this weekend was one i had been looking forward to since about 3 weeks ago. So this weekend hits and I get to enjoy baseball with great friends. One of my friends happens to play on the baseball team (well I have a couple, sorry PJ and Trey haha), but anyways like I was saying one of my friends, Kenneth, plays on the team. So like good friends do we hung out Friday night after the game and just chilled and it was fun.

Saturday rolls around and I go to the baseball game and have fun and all that. Then I get a text from him a little later saying you want to go see a movie. Funny thing is, I dont have a car which means I have no way to get to the movie theater. I say yes anyway and decide to take the bus.

I had never really heard of the movie that we were seeing, but decided I was going and nothing was stopping me (I mean a dollar for a movie, its a great deal haha). So I get down to the movie theater and the movie is To Save a Life.

Im not sure how many of you have seen it (if you have good, if you haven’t you need to!), but this movie was great. Its about teenage suicide and a guys life as he loses a friend and then basically finds Jesus and the whole dealing with that and life and high school thing. Great movie. And though I wasn’t brought to tears or anything (Kenneth said he almost cried like 3 times), I did get changed by it. I think.

Its interesting isnt it. The fact that things such as a movie or a song can change you. The way something so little and small can reach into your very essence and just move you. We dont see that a lot nowadays. Being moved that is. Sure we see plenty of movements. Especially in churches, there are plenty of people who are moved. And yet when you really think about it there aren’t that many people. I mean there are of course the missionaries who come and plead with the people to give. And sure that moves some people. But overall the church isnt moved by much these days. This is incredibly sad. In fact i posted this quote on my twitter earlier today “Jesus was more embraced by sinners than by the church. How does the world love better than the church?”

That statement may shock you. But its the truth. Something the movie pointed out was the fact that the youth group the guy was going to was full of hypocrites. Christians claim they love Jesus, and yet they live completely different lifestyles. If Jesus were to come back today, i dont think most churches would let Him in the door. And dont take this personally because the last thing im trying to do is to call anyone out. If anything i am calling myself out here because i know i do it a lot.

My first goal after seeing this movie. Stop being hypocritical.

Plain and simple, and yet it has to be one of the easiest things you can ever say and the hardest things you can ever do.

There was also a great quote in the movie from the main character. And I dont remember it word for word but it went something like this. “Do you think there was something I could have said or done that could have saved him?”

Thats a big question.

How many people do you walk past in a day that you overlook?

I know for me its to many to count. People that could be hurting or dying on the inside that i dont give the time of day.

People that could just need that one person to reach out. People that say “If no one talks to me today Im going to end it all tonight”

I know i wasnt the most popular guy in high school, but i was guilty of leaving the “less cool” out of whatever hangout was going on.

I feel ashamed of that now. I dont know what was going on with that person. And yet i may not have verbally been mean to him, but i stood by and let it happen which makes me just as guilty.

My second goal after the movie is talking to people who just look lonely, people who i see by themselves all the time. people who i normally wouldn’t give the time of day because im to “busy” or whatever excuse i decide to come up with as i pass them.

I dont really have a third goal since i hadnt really thought about making goals until i put the first one up there haha. But i would say that this stuff isnt easy. Doing these things is not one of those natural things to do. It is hard work. But the hardest work you can do can eventually change someones life.

I think i need to reconnect with some old friends who i became “to cool” for during high school. I need to start living out what I say. I need to start loving Jesus like i am supposed to love Jesus.

And to think i got all of this from one movie.

-th3rd