It wasn’t a grand party where everyone was invited, but the pity party I held for myself this summer was more of a casual meet and greet affair. I’m not the depressive sort, but I’ve been at a lower than usual point for the past few months.
Then I watched an ironically inspiring movie, “The Way Back” about prisoners who escape from a World War II era Soviet Gulag in Siberia and walk due south from Siberia, through Mongolia, China and Tibet and to freedom in India.
Watching depressing movies (though this one does inspire at the right times) about what others have had to endure gives great perspective to ones own troubles.
For a few months now I’ve been relating myself to Joseph, but the problem (and I’m thankful for this problem) is that the troubles I’ve endured are nothing compared to Joseph.
Now after watching this movie I feel as if any inconvenience, extra work, delayed dream, tight budget, lack of recognition, physical imperfection, 100 degree heat, burst water pipe and even backed up toilets are nothing in comparison.
The problem is such perspective is a pity party buzz killer. Its hard to feel sorry for oneself when you see how much you’ve been blessed and how much others have had to endure to gain a fraction of what one in America has been given for free.
The other lesson I’m taking from this movie is the simple motto of “just keep walking.” While the movie has its moments, is beautifully shot and has good acting, its hard to transform a grueling walk across terrible terrain into a quick montage with a rock anthem. So the movie makes the right choice by showing the agony, monotony and price that the long walk takes on the escaped prisoners. And the reason that they make it isn’t some grand intervention or salvation, but simply because they never gave up and kept walking. Step by step, hill by hill, mile by mile until they reached their destination. There is a profound truth in that for each of us. We are promised success and that we will reap a harvest for our efforts, ordeals and travails if we just don’t quit. If we keep walking.
This may not be the get out of whatever jail one is in free card that Americans are used to, but it is very biblical. And such a perspective can change the feel of a pity party into a perseverance party in no time flat. True, not a lot of people will show up for a perseverance party (the favors are a little gamey) but no one showed up for the pity party either. The good news is that at least this time I didn’t send out invitations to my pity party. And most importantly, the One guest that shows up for the perseverance party is really the only guest worth entertaining.
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