We Trust

We just watched a film titled, “Greater.” It is a football/inspirational bio pic about Brandon Burlsworth, the greatest walk-on in College Football history.

I must be forthcoming, I love football pics! I truly do! Baseball and Football, I love them! Remember American here 😉 And while that may mean a bias, do know that if a Football Pic stinks, it stinks, k.

As far as a football pic, “Greater” is not so much football as it is Inspirational, and there is nothing wrong with that, but just to clarify that from the get-go. While there is some football, it’s not football-laden.

This film deals with a good person leaving us too soon.
A young man who did all the right things, fought the good fight in many ways, a young man whose life, arguably, was just beginning, whose bright future was ahead of him, and any other phrase of which you can think that expresses a life just beginning, a life which was taken away too soon, too quick.

The meat of the film, the conflict, is Marty’s, Brandon’s brother, and his faith or lack thereof at times, which is embodied by “The Farmer.”

While the film may start slowly, it is worth watching.
I truly believe that we can all relate to Marty in those moments.
How many of us get angry at God?
How many times do we feel entitled enough to question Him and ask WHY? Why Lord? Why him/her? Why now?
And even more, we also question our faith and ask:
How could a God who is supposedly all-powerful, merciful, and good, allow this?
If there truly was a God, He wouldn’t let this happen!
Why does God let bad things happen to good people?
Why do bad people live and continue to do bad while the good are taken away?
And one that I got from “The Farmer,” and I do apologize if I misquote, “The Lord giveth for a little while, and He taketh away forever.”

We don’t have all the answers.
His ways are not our ways.
We must Trust in the Lord.
And so many more things that are to bring us some peace.
And while it hurts and will hurt, the advantage that we, as believers have, is that we have the gift of His Grace. The gifts of Faith and Hope.

We have Faith in Him and His promises of Eternal Life.
We Hope to one day be worthy enough to be in His Presence.

Death.

Can good really come of it though? To each and every one of us regardless of whether we are believers or not?
The answer is simple, Yes, as this image courtesy of @CatholicConvert shows us.

The loss of a loved one, or of someone we know, allows us to reevaluate our lives and our priorities. It allows us to sit back and really see how we are living our lives.
Are we truly living as if at any moment we could go, or they could?
Or are we living as if we are immortal and tomorrow is guaranteed?

How much more painful is the loss if the loss is a child?
I can only say that as a parent, it is a loss I cannot fathom.
They say that no parent should ever bury their child. And yet, many do. Many have, and many will…
What can one say?

I have it easy right now, a strong, faithful father has lost his child, very young child, and his reaction…
Gratitude to Our Lord for having had the gift of his child’s life.

I have so much to learn…to Trust…