Where the Wild Things Are

Saw Where the Wild Things Are last night, liked it, thought it did the book justice…not sure how many people agree with me. I liked seeing the characters come to life, and what exactly the wild things did on the island. While watching the film I realized how there is this urge to be wild and free, as well as loved. That’s where God comes in, that’s what He wants for us; however, we don’t always see that. In fact I think that’s what most teenagers are searching for. They want to be wild, loved and free; however, they search for it in the wrong way. One of the reasons why I stay in youth ministry is to help those students find that freedom, find that love, encourage them to be wild, because in this world we are tempted to find those things in any place other than God.
When my parents divorced, I remember wanting that escape, wanting to just hide and runaway. Got into some late night mischief with friends, I would drive for hours along the highways of NJ (that’s when gas was less than a dollar), spend late nights at diners, not wanting to go home. It got tiresome, it took me into my adult life to realize that running and ignoring the conflict wasn’t going to make me wild, free or loved…just trapped.
One thing we see happen in the movie is that a life filled with self-rule can be too hard to manage. Max, misses the love of his mother, misses the security of home, he realizes he doesn’t always knows what is best. God’s love is that love, it’s that security, it’s the knowledge that everything is going to be okay.