Shawshank - a longing fulfilled

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

JM and I were trying to establish which movies we could rip from each others HD when we realised we both have the classic THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. I have watched the movie twice, but never had insight like that of JM. Below is an excerpt of JM's msn ramblings.

This film reminds me of the verse "a longing fulfilled is a tree of life". It makes me feel that "hoping in God" "may" be the best thing to do on earth.

The main actor, Robbins, never felt he belongs to the prison. Only he knew that he is innocent of the murder that landed him in the prison. He makes the most out of every opportunity he had when he was in the prison, from having the library renovated and funded, teaching people who wants to learn,...etc.

It makes me to think that we are also passing by earth. We must not feel that we belong here....like what most people would have... when they get "institutionalised"... like what Morgan Freeman said in the show. We can get easily "entangled" with the world... and not realise that we have a higher purpose here.


I have always thought myself as a worldly being, a creature inundated with an worldly material, gadgets and what-nots. My passion for the sensorial is insatiable. Who can resist the sights, sounds and taste of this world - words that evoke and excite, smells that calm and flood me with nostalgia, foods that warm you and make you quiver with happiness, music that engulfs my being and speaks to my soul, visual fare that astounds and moves me to depths and breadths I am not acquainted with - who can resist?

Of late however, several events have jolted me out of my comfort zone and prompted a penetrating examination of my lexicon. During a supervision period my supervisor was attempting to explain the cyclical nature of events that plague families, using a biblical perspective. Try as I might, I have no recollection of what I had asked, said or did that inspired her to spring up from her seat and exclaim "so the verse this morning was for you!" She read...

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:11-13)

Although the passage appears disconcerting, it is very apt for reasons I can't blog due to corporate confidentiality (btw, the building where I work is a historical site utilised by the Japanese as a place of torture). Anyhow, the thrust of the supervision is that the spiritual does exist, and that we must recognise ourselves as spiritual beings.

alrite, sleeeepy. to be continued....