
One such movie that I have recently watched, Seven Days in Utopia, vividly portrays the anguish of a young man with great talent who has lost his confidence and with it his way. The movie stars the venerable Robert Duvall as a Texas rancher with a past as a golf pro whose career was cut short by his weakness for alcohol. A young, budding golfer, Lucas Chisholm (played by Lucas Black), meets the older and wiser ex-pro due to a twist of fate.
After exploding on the eighteenth hole in a Texas golf tournament which he was winning, young Luke loses the opportunity to receive an invitation to the upcoming Texas Open and with it the chance to prove he has what it takes to be an outstanding professional golfer. Upset and in anguish over the loss of control of his game and his temper, he races off in his car only to crash into a field on Duvall's ranch, who comes to his aid. I won't discuss any more of the story but the movie, Seven Days in Utopia, shows how Duvall teaches Luke patience and in so doing dramatically improves his golf game. The secret to success, Luke learns, is through seeing it, feeling it and trusting it as Duvall teaches him just what the "it" is.
This movie is particularly appropriate for teenagers and young adults who are in the formative years of their career journey. It offers good advice on how God can insure your success in what you do if you follow the calling that He has for you. Many of us spend years wandering through the desert of empty jobs and promises, but when and if we finally realize that the truth of who we are and what we're meant to do can only be accomplished if we see Him, feel Him and trust Him to do what He wants us to do.
Dear Lord, Thank you for the miracle of life that you have given us. And open our hearts to your wisdom and grace, Merciful Father, so that we might open our eyes and see with our eyes and feel with our touch the trust that we must have in you if we are to truly be successful living for your Glory. May we truly turn our lives over to you so that we may experience eternity after our work on this earth is done. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, who died on the Cross so that we might be forgiven for our sins. Amen
The Lord often works in mysterious ways. I truly believe this wonderful movie is one of them. See it for yourself; the experience will be worthwhile. It is available on DVD and from Netflix.