Shrek 4 and the Joy of Intentional Living

Shrek getting tired of his domesticated life.

After ten thousand years, I've finally seen Shrek Forever After (the fourth installment of the Shrek series) in the cinemas yesterday. The movie tells of Shrek's domesticated life. After rescuing Princess Fiona and saving the kingdom of Far Far Away, Shrek suddenly found himself a domesticated family man. He would live each and every day doing the same things for his family and friends, feeding them, taking care of them, and spending time with them. However, as time went by, it dawned on him that gone are the days when he felt like "a real ogre," feared by villagers and doing things just because. With this longing for his past self, he made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, a magical creature who makes wishes come true, for him to have just one day to be "a real ogre" again. But with such deal came more loneliness than the happiness he wished for. (I won't give more spoilers that I am entitled to for the sake of those who haven't seen the movie.)

Shrek making a deal with Rumpelstiltskin.

In the movie, Shrek was surrounded by a loving family, best friends, and adoring villagers, but he gave up all of these for just a day to be back to his old self. We sometimes do the same. We exchange long-term happiness for a moment of pleasure. We exchange our greatest treasure for a minute, tiny, microscopic piece of gold that life offers us. We give away everything that we have and everything that is important to us for something that is not even worth it.

Last Sunday at the South Feast*, Bro. Arun talked about living deliberately. Let us not make unworthy deals and regrettable exchanges. Let us not just accept what life brings us but learn to choose wisely. Everyday, we are confronted by life's tests. We are always given options, and from these options, we are called to make decisions. Each decision that we make and each answer that we give to each test determine our destiny. God never holds the steering wheel of our lives; He only clears the path, gives us signs, and guides us on our way, but it is still always us who are the driver of our lives.

But what if I made a wrong turn? What if I made a wrong decision? Am I doomed? Is my life over? We may ask ourselves these questions, but let us be assured that, if we fail in one test, if we made a wrong turn, that doesn't mean that we failed in life altogether. Our God is a God of chances. God never runs out of chances to give to us, whether it's our second, third, or nth chance. He will never grow tired of guiding us as we hold the steering wheel of our lives.

So don't fear. Live deliberately. Choose wisely. Take the steering wheel of your life.

*The South Feast, a weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus Community (LOJ), happens every Sunday at Festival Mall Cinema 10, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, at 11am and at 3pm. It is led by Feast Builder/Main Preacher Arun Gogna. LOJ is a Catholic charismatic community led by Bo Sanchez.

(Photo source: Yahoo! Movies)