In 1997 I saw the movie, “Life is Beautiful.” Still today I feel its impact and significance. It helped me understand the gospel message so much better than before. Brilliantly mixing tragedy and comedy, the movie tells of Jewish Italian father who smuggled his little boy in with him whilst imprisoned in a 2nd WW camp. Hiding the boy, the father and the other inmates let him believe they are on an adventure, and if he does everything exactly as they say he will be rewarded with a ride on a military tank. It is hilariously funny how they do this. However just before the liberating American tanks arrive to free them, unbeknown to the little boy, the prison guards kill his father. Meanwhile the boy is hiding in a box on the prison square with instructions from his father only to come out when the shooting stops. Lo and behold, when the shooting stops, and the square is filled with an eerie silence, he comes out to find there in the square the prize he was promised, an American tank. He cannot believe his eyes, and jumps on the tank for his ride. Further down the road as the tank drives through the Italian countryside it passes a long line of freed Italian woman prisoners, where the boy and his mother are joyfully united. Life is beautiful and life is cruel. Yet in it all life is also victorious, even though shadowed by suffering and pain, sometimes too much. This story contains some gospel truths at their very best. Here are two gospel truths the movie teaches us: 1. Nothing ever, let's repeat this, nothing ever works out like it should. Most of the time. There are pitfalls and dangers along the way of life. For everybody. Jesus’ life mirrors our lives. His life too is shadowed by suffering, pain, rejection, betrayal, and heartache. Why? Because he is just like us! 2. Life’s trials and tribulations do not always have a happy ending, but they can end victorious. Life triumphs, and life is beautiful. This is the point; the road to victory is always, always, always marked by some kind of suffering. I say always, not mostly. There is no other way I know! Suffering is the gateway to life – true life, deep life, and meaningful life. “Jesus became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death - his death on the cross.” Then he said, “Pick up your cross and follow me.”