Family Man

Ever seen "Family Man," starring Nicolas Cage?

It's a Christmas favorite of Joanna's and mine that we watched for the first time on our 7th (or was it 23rd?) date using a headphone splitter at Nordaggio's Coffee across from our college campus.  Although I can't fully endorse the film due to some graphic content, I have to admit there are "worse" movies I've seen and learned from as well.

Cage plays Jack Campbell, an outrageously wealthy businessmen who holds his employees late on Christmas Eve, meets an angel figure through a timely convenience-store intervention, and wakes up Christmas morning in an alternate reality.  This "glimpse"experience is the centerpiece of the film and shows him what life would have been like had he made a singular decision differently.

Over the course of several months, he discovers a life he's missed out on; a life surrounded by family.  He's given up the wealth, and lives on a much tighter budget (no Ferrari), but finds a new wealth of love that has surrounded him in the hearts of his wife and 2 kids.

But this isn't a film review.  It's a life lesson illustrated by a now obscure 125min movie.

It could be easy for Joanna and I to vilify Campbell's first life, thinking our current economic status is a sign of our value in the higher virtues.  But this isn't a lesson in disparaging the life-choices of the upper classes.  The true lesson from the film is in what Campbell learns is most valuable.  It's not an 'either-or' choice; it's a 'what comes first' choice.

So I'm a family man.  Turns out, so is God.

He made a choice too, and in understanding his choice, we understand what he valued most.  Us.  That much is simple.  To bring us into his family, God paid a great price, and the value of the payment tells us something about his value of the purchase.  The tricky part is understanding why he made the choice.

People are a mess.  Jack Campbell teaches us that.  But Jack learned a valuable lesson: people are messy, but worth the mess.  Companionship, friendship and love are worth stinky diapers, disagreements, and the occasional pain.  In the end, Jack gives something of value to him for something he has found to be even more valuable.  In this particular tale the price is control, autonomy and a measure of security.

What is the value of your hearts desire?  Do you really know what that desire is?  What price are you willing to pay?