Thanks for taking the time to visit my first blog on the Project Restoration website! I’m really excited to have a forum where I can respond to our culture’s views on family issues. So let’s begin.

One thing I love to do on Sunday afternoons is read the paper. With two toddlers at home, this is one of the few relaxing things I enjoy each week. I lustfully browse the real estate ads as I long for more storage space, a playroom, and an office in my otherwise perfect home. I laugh at the comics (particularly Zits and Marvin), clip coupons, and skim through Parade magazine (I know, when did I get so old and boring, right?).

This past Sunday I read an interesting article on actor and environmental activist, Leonardo DiCaprio. Three things stuck out to me in this article. First, Leo’s reason for becoming an actor: “’We’re all after love, aren’t we? Love is what people are hungry for. That’s absolutely why I became an actor’, he admits.” In this age of celebrity worship, outrageously priced couture, and bling bling on every finger, it’s no secret that society is looking to fill a void. But rarely do we receive such candor from people, especially from Hollywood’s elite. I empathize with Leo because we are all looking for love. Unfortunately, fame, magazine covers, and money will not fill our deepest longings.

Aside from searching for love in acting, the article states that Leo was “Looking for meaning beyond movies . . . [he] got passionately involved in trying to help save the earth.” A friend once remarked to me, “It’s a good thing someone got you into the church or you would have been burning your bra on every street corner!” She recognized my need to believe in something. It’s a need we all have. And if we do not believe in the truth, God’s truth, then we’ll go looking for some cause to make life feel purposeful.

Finally, Leo says, “Ninety percent of the people I meet are dealing with issues they can’t overcome because of bad parenting. That’s the truth. There’s that side of you that says, ‘Time to get over the hurt and move on,’ he continues. ‘It’s hard to do. So you just hang on to the emotion that this one didn’t love me, or why didn’t that relationship last? That stuff stays with you forever. You want to say, ‘Get over yourself! Come on! Time to grow up!’ Some people are able to do that, but a lot of us remain victims of it.”

I think he speaks for a lot of people in our generation. Hurting people who desperately want to move past their pain, but don’t know how. If you relate to his words, I want to encourage you to discover your identity in Jesus Christ! This is the first step in equipping yourself to build a godly home. God loves us simply because we are his children. Not because of our appearance, our abilities, or our potential. Only because he created us. If you did not have a parent who loved you this way, this will be a difficult concept for you to grasp. But start by praying for strength and faith to accept God’s truth.

Leo’s life reflections are even more interesting after knowing that Leo’s parents divorced when he was only 7 months old. Maybe this fractured home is what led him to search for love and the meaning of life through lights, cameras, and action. But he seems to have experienced healing as well. His parents are both actively involved in his life and career. He even says, “I was fortunate with my parents. Without them, I would never have been able to be as level-headed as I am, considering everything that’s happened to me.”

Isn’t this what we should all strive for? Forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation in our families. Who knew we would gain so much insight from a young man who once proclaimed, “I’m king of the world!”

Quotes taken from Parade (Sunday, October 5, 2008) in the Waco Tribune-Herald, pg 4-5. “Leonardo DiCaprio: ‘I Want to Stand for Something’” by Dotson Rader.