Over the years, there have been movies that have imprinted themselves in my mind. Movies that have triggered thoughts, ideas, and even emotions that I was not anticipating as I watched them. For a variety of reasons, they have pointed me to consider more deeply what it means to be a follower of Christ. One of those moves has been Sister Act.
Movies are made to entertain and even to inform. But, to me, movies expose some of the fundamental needs of the human soul. We have to be watchful and observant. We have to be self-reflective if we are going to see what is often overlooked. There is a scene in Sister Act that every time I see it I get goosebumps.
It would take a long time for me to mark out the many lessons that I have gained from this film. One of them, however, revolves around the youngest nun, Sister Mary Roberts, in the convent. She has always believed there was something inside of her that God wanted to us. It is not until Sister Mary Clarence arrives (played by Whoopi Goldberg) that she finds it. She discovers her purpose and it was something that she had never considered as “the thing” for which she existed.
The older I get the more striking it becomes that many of us do not know why we are here on this earth. We seem to be going about our lives randomly bumping into each other but with no true direction. We have been told over and over again that we have a purpose. That God has a wonderful and beautiful plan for our lives, and yet, we do not know what it is. Or worse, we do not know how to get started in living it out if we do.
There are many tragedies that happen in life. However, one of the greatest has to be living a life without purpose. I want to live a life filled with purpose. And, that purpose will be unique to me. It will be fulfilling for me. Therefore, I have to do all that I can to find it. Then, when I find it, I have to fight to stay true to it.
I think this is what makes this realization by Sister Mary Roberts so powerful to me. Watch the video below and watch the change in her face as she begins to believe in herself and her purpose. After you have watched ask yourself this question, “What are you doing to find and live out your purpose?”
The truth of the matter is that you never know where you will be when you find out what you’re here for.
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