One Dedicated Father

I love watching movies about families and thinking as much as they love each other, my Heavenly Father loves me more. In Finding Nemo, a movie mostly about fish (in case you didn't know), Nemo, a clownfish, is captured by a dentist and held in an aquarium in Sydney, Australia. As soon as Nemo is taken, his father, Marlin, pursues the boat that took him, facing countless dangers along the way, including jellyfish, an anglerfish, and a total of three sharks. Upon hearing about the dangers and hardships Marlin was willing to face to get his son back, one bird remarked "That's one dedicated father if you ask me." But as dedicated as Marlin was to save his son, Nemo, our Heavenly Father is even more dedicated to helping us.

We have each, in a sense, been taken - not by dentists but by the tricks and traps of the devil, and just like Marlin, our Heavenly Father would do just about anything to get us home safe. Fortunately for Him, He, being immortal, does not need to face mortal peril to rescue us. He does, however, have to deal with terrible frustration and heartache, most of it cause by the people He's trying to save. But because He loves us more than Marlin loved Nemo, more than we can even imagine, God is willing to go to almost any lengths and face any hardships to save us.

I love how much God loves us and it makes me want to love Him back more than I do. I don't want to spoil the movie, in case any of you haven't seen it and are still planning to, but Nemo had to face some hardship and danger, too, in order to break out of the aquarium. Though he was discouraged after his first frightening, failed attempt, when he heard the stories of the courage and dedication of his father, he was inspired to try again. In a similar manner, we have some work to do in order to safely return to our Heavenly Father, and we can let His dedication to us inspire us to show a little bit of dedication to Him. He's willing to move mountains for us. Let us be willing to do our part as well, whatever dangers or hardships we have to face to do it.

There aren't many moments in movies that are more touching than when parents and children are reunited with each other. I can't even imagine what an emotional moment it will be when we're reunited with God. Let us each do what we can to make sure we get home clean and safe, no matter what challenges get in our way.