Prompt: Think of a problem that a character had to face. Write the problem and how the
character solved it or is working to solve it. If you were that character, what
would you do differently?
Todd Burpo in the Verge of Dying
The book I'm currently reading this week is more of a non-fiction book because the events that happen in the story actually happened in real life. The part where I am right now only one character has had a difficult problem which is Todd Burpo, the author of this novel. The first problems that rises in Todd's life is, the multiple accidents he has had over the past couple of months. He broke his leg in half, had possibilities of breast cancer, and having stomach issues. He was on the verge of never walking again and his family was losing money fast do to the large hospital bills and Todd going without working. I forgot to mention before that Todd is a pastor in a small town called Imperial, in the state of Nebraska. He earns very little money in this job but that cash still has a large impact in solving the family's financial problems. In the beginning of the book he mentions that these were dark days for him and the faith he had on his religion. He would spent hours yelling god because he believed that he deserved better since his job is a pastor. The character solved this problem by praying and realizing that the son of god sacrificed even more than he has. The next day he was back on his feet and the great cancer warning was a false alarm. The second problem is even worst than the first and this truly impacted Todd's life.
What Would I do Differently? The Second Problem
If I were the character Todd I would have taken more care of myself when I play baseball since he is at an age where your body is a bit fragile. I would also try to find a temporary job that doesn't involve me walking or more simply teach church lessons on the computer. The interactive lessons might earn him a bit of money for the time being, while his family passes through this financial chaos. The most obvious thing I would do is to not freak out and to stay calm which might even help me get better. Since I'm Catholic I would pray every day with a positive tone instead of yelling at god and my religion. I would simply ask for god's mercy in a kind tone instead of yelling at him in which luckily Todd got his wish. The second problem is more of a life and death situation that involves Todd's youngest son Colton Burpo. In last couple of days Colton has been throwing up every 30 minutes and refusing to eat anything. The result and conclusion of this problem might have led to being the greatest thing that ever happened to the Burpo family.
Resolution of the Second Problem/How Would I Change it
I mentioned before that Colton was diagnosed with an unknown disease which involves constant vomiting and losing all strength in the body. Todd could not believe that first he had suffered, now his three-year old son is on the verge of dying. Todd decides to solve the situation by yelling at god and again losing faith. The doctor who performed Colton's emergency survey reveals that Colton is perfectly healthy. When the Burpo family arrives home Colton starts to say things out of the ordinary, by mentioning that he rode Jesus's rainbow horse and saw for the first time his great-grandfather. Todd realizes that while he was yelling at god in the praying room, his son was actually being taken cared of by Jesus himself. If I were to be this main character I would try to have taken better care of my son by visiting the doctor every once in a while. I would have made sure that my son was healthy and of course having faith in my religion.
Watch the movie trailer.
The girl in the picture above actually had a similar experience in which she also visited heaven and came back. She now paints drawings of what she saw in heaven which includes Jesus, angels, and the setting itself. When Todd asked Colton how Jesus looked like he mentions that he doesn't look like the man in the bible drawings. The real Jesus has giant blue eyes instead of the tradition brown eyes and wears white clothes.
This week I will comment on Nikolas, Julia, and Leanna's Blogs.
My mom told me that praying doesn't give you something and it's just something that helps you gain a bit more hope for things to get better so with that positive attitude, good things are likely to happen. I find it a bit annoying when I see characters on television get angry at their god when something doesn't go the way they want it to go, especially when they aren't doing something to get better! You stated a lot of great things that may have helped the character get better that you would have done. I think that if the person did what you would've done if you were in this situation, things would be a bit better. You wrote a great and interesting blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and putting yourself in 'Todd's shoes."
ReplyDeleteAbdiel, I have read this book and watched the movie and I have to say that it is pretty amazing and life-changing. To be honest, I feel like most people have been through what Tom has been through; getting angry at God because something didn't go right.
ReplyDeleteI think I would also take some of the same steps you did like trying to find another temporary job in the meantime. This blog was very interesting and I hope you enjoyed the book as much as I did!