Messages Come From Unexpected Places

I watched a movie over the weekend called 'Home Run'.  I seem to be drawn to the movies where people have to overcome obstacles and this movie was no exception.  Here is the premise of the movie: "Pro baseball player Cory Brand is forced into a rehabilitation program in his Oklahoma hometown after several alcohol-related incidents. He is responsible for injuring his brother in an alcohol-related crash."

In the movie Cory is, at first, in denial that he has a problem.  He's a cocky pro baseball player who thinks he can do whatever he wants.  But you see from the very beginning what drives him.  In the open scene of the movie a young Cory Brand is forced to stand in front of the barn taking pitch after pitch from is drunk father.  You can tell that this happens often because there is a large whole in the barn from the baseballs hitting it.  Every time his dad those a pitch, young Cory flinches and doesn't swing the bat.  He's dad yells at him as he continues to drink. 

Flash forward to Cory a much older pro baseball player.  As he stands waiting for a pitch he flashes back to his youth and we can hear the words his father would say to him.

These type of movies are probably cheesy to most people but I love them.  I love to see people overcome their struggles and get to a better place.  They make me happy. 

I don't know that this movie would have stood out to me enough to warrant a blog post about it if it hadn't been for the ending.  It spoke to me and where I'm at.  At the end Cory stands up in front of a group of people at Celebrate Recovery. It's a Christian based 12 step program.  As he is speaking he tells about the struggles he had to change and how he was powerless to make those changes.  It wasn't until he realized that he was powerless without God that he really was able to conquer his demons and make a true and lasting change. 

I know for myself I feel like I do better when I'm focusing on doing the things that Heavenly Father would want me to do, rather than what I want to do.  I still struggle with trusting Heavenly Father to help me change my life.  Honestly I still struggle with my feelings about Heavenly Father. I don't know how to trust that in the end things will be okay.  What hasn't been my experience.  I think the words that were spoken in the movie touched me because that is what I strive for.  It was just a good reminder of who really does know best and that I need to continue to work on letting go of my need to control everything.