Live It Well

Tonight Carol and I watched an old classic from 1990, "Joe Versus The Volcano".  From IMDb: "When a hypochondriac learns that he is dying, he accepts an offer to throw himself in a volcano at a tropical island, and along the way there, learns to truly live.

Director:

 John Patrick Shanley

Writer:

 John Patrick Shanley

Stars:

 Tom Hanks,  Meg Ryan,  Lloyd Bridges".  

In an early movie scene, Joe Banks visits Dr. Ellison's office to get the results of medical tests previously performed on him and is told he has a terminal disease that will cause no pain up until his death and he has a few months left to live. The terminal disease is described as a "brain cloud".  Below is the script for part of this movie scene:

JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO - Rev. 5/16/89

                          JOE

 A brain cloud.  I knew it.
 Well, I didn't know it, but I
 knew it.
           

     ELLISON
 Yes.

     JOE
 What am I going to do?

     ELLISON
 You have some time left, Mr.
 Banks. You have some life
 left. My advice to you is:
 Live it well.

     JOE
 I've got to go.  I'm on my
 lunch hour which is over.

Joe gets up and Ellison follows suit, putting out his
hand.

     ELLISON
 I'm sorry for what I had to
 tell you. I wish the news had
 been better.

Joe doesn't take his hand.

     JOE
 Yeah .

As I watched this scene, it occurred to me that we are all in the same situation as Joe Banks.  We are all dying and have an unknown amount of life left.  When Joe asks Dr. Ellison, "What am I going to do?", Dr. Ellison's answer is appropriate for not only Joe but everyone of us.  What am I going to do? "You have some time left, Mr. Banks. You have some life left.  My advice to you is: Live it well."

Starting now, let's live life well!

A Punishing God?

“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:11-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I prefer to not think of God as a punishing God, but these Proverb verses put God's discipline into the perspective of a father disciplining his child.  Food for thought.