Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark is a great story, but I think it's told wrong. We miss a huge opportunity when we dumb it down and make it a cute little story about animals. Noah took animals with him so they could eat, and so they could re-propagate the species, a minor detail when you consider what this scripture story is about. This is actually a wonderful story to learn several spiritual lessons.

The reason I say this is because, like all children, I was taught the story of Noah's Ark: Cute Animal Version (Oh, and the Cute Rainbow too). And then, twenty-some-odd years later, I saw the film Evan Almighty and for once, it dawned on me what this story is ABOUT!

Yesterday Rychen P. was asking something about people who lived before he was even born. (He was actually surprised to learn that the earth existed for thousands of years before he was born!) So I drew a timeline of the Earth's history, and we talked a bit about history. I put biblical names on the timeline as well as world history events/figures, Renaissance, Classical musicians, etc. One of the Biblical figures was Noah, but he couldn't recall the story of the Ark. So that's what we did for school today.

I told him the story of the Ark. The Real Story. Including thoughtful questions such as "Why did God want everybody to die? How did God give them a second chance? What did they have to do to be safe? Did they do it? How do you think they felt when the puddles turned into ponds, which turned into lakes, and their things got destroyed? How did God help the righteous people be prepared? Do you think they were scared too, even though they were righteous? What can we do when we're scared? How did the wicked people treat Noah when he was building his ark? Did he get self-conscious and please his peers, or did he keep obeying God even though he was mocked?"

By the way, Evan Almighty is an awesome film. I really recommend it. I watched it during my pregnancy and it spoke to me so much about Faith, even when society mocks us. And your faith with be tried. At the climax of the film, Evan (Noah) is standing on his boat, waiting for the rain to come. It's a bright, sunny day. The ark is surrounded by crowds of people, mocking him, yelling at him to get off his stupid boat. Even his family is saying "Come on, Dad, maybe it was a figurative flood. Nothing is happening." And Evan almost begins to doubt... almost... and is faced with the big decision. But he stays on the boat, and just then, the flood suddenly comes. And of course he is blessed for holding true and staying on the boat.

That is the lesson I want my children to learn. That is what I want them to remember every time they think of Noah's Ark.