Circus Money
Ben’s late wife ends up leaving him money that she calls “Circus Money.” It is meant for Ben to use on an adventure when he needs it. The Zoo was running out of money and they had no idea where they were going to get it, but somehow he finds his Circus Money and it saves the day.
While we don’t have Circus money on the Race we sure do serve a God that owns all the cattle. So, we have God Money. We don’t always know how we are going to come up with the money to pay for things like our next deadline, we have no idea how we will pay for a Safari, but, God always comes through. I have never had a single situation since joining the Race that God didn’t take care of for me.
Insane Courage
There’s a quote they use a lot in the movie.
“Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. That’s all you have to do and something great will come of it.”
So many times out here we just need to inhale, take a nice deep breath, grin and bear it, and go through with whatever challenge is in front of us. There are so many moments where I just had to repeat this quote in my head. And, yes, something good always comes of it!
Ah ha Moments!
In the movie there are so many trials. But after every trial they show this really awesome clip of something amazing happening. They use amazing music, beautiful animals, pictures of the sun that are incredible. It’s a release after watching a scene of them struggling.
I cannot even tell you how many moments I have had where I see something incredible and it makes it all worth while. It’s my “Ah-ha!” moment and a reminder of why it is I am out here in the first place. Kind of like when you see the stars in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, when you see someone accept Christ, when you share the good news in a place that it has never been told or heard before, or singing “Waka Waka” with the kids in my class in Kenya.
Hardships, Setbacks, Homesickness, Abandonment
There are quite a few moments when Benjamin Mee faces difficult circumstances. Because his wife dies, we spend quite a bit of the movie watching flashbacks of him when he was happy. Out here on the Race, sadly, we get homesick and days when we feel the true abandonment and separation of the first world. We look at pictures of our friends and family back home, we talk about the things we miss, we weep for the things we are missing. These are truly the moments that are hard to endure that we are forced to cling to God to get us through. Out here, other than your teammates, all you have is God. Which in the grand scheme of things, is quite a great place to be!
We Bought A Zoo!
There are so many moments in this movie where a character will yell “We bought a zoo!!!” And there are so many moments where we all say “We’re on the World Race!!!” It’s a declaration that yes, we are alive, yes, we are doing something worth doing, yes, we are being used for 11 continuous months by God to do His work.
WE’RE ON THE WORLD RACE!!!!
I could go on and on about the countless parallels this movie has with the World Race. But for now, I urge you to see the whimsy in your every day life. What are your “We bought a zoo” moments? Find them, and when you’re really really excited, scream it out loud for all to hear!
