problematize

One of the most important themes that I picked up on in Peace Like a River was that every action has a consequence, whether good or bad. I’m sure this theme holds true for each and every one of us. Throughout the narrative, the children and father make choices, significant and minor, that impact not only themselves, but everyone around them. Perhaps, the most obvious instance is Davy, who feels compelled to kill two boys to protect his family. The result is Davy spending the rest of his life on the as a fugitive and his family without Davy. This is just one of the many examples from the text. It’s somewhat hard and confusing to wrap my head around the fact that my own decisions, can affect the life of others. I truly believe if we simply thought before we act, we would make better decisions. Not only does it affect people on this earth, our Heavenly Father also is watching. We can make God, our friends, or family feel disappointed, happy, sad, hurt, loved, encouraged; you name it, we have the power to do it. I think it ultimately comes down to if we have God in our lives or not. God has called us to love, even the unlovable. Many times I feel that SEU culture, and even our generation today, refuses to do this task. Mr. Lands showed Lurvy love when he probably didn’t want to. But it didn’t even seem difficult for him, because he had help from God. I have been wrestling with this a lot lately. I think we all should. Love is something we all must learn to give out even when it is undeserving.