"I'm not a mistake" - Creed

A few stand-out scenes and parallels to life from the movie, "Creed":

The movie is powerful because (beyond even the cross-racial aspect of the relationship) it is so rare to see a genuine bond form between a young man and an older man in our culture.  Young Creed's willingness and eagerness to learn from Rocky is intriguing in this movie because of his willingness to love.  He not only wants to learn and receive training and skill from Rocky, but he cares about Rock.  He moves into Rock's apartment.  He helps Rock at his restaurant.  He respects Rocky.  He partners with Rocky and when Rock wants to give up he forces Rocky to go through chemotherapy and "fight" to stay alive.  The way Rocky is willing to just give up on life when he is diagnosed with cancer is really believable.  "Everything for me is in the past, kid", he tells his protege Adonis Creed.  
At the end of the final fight Rocky asks Creed why he has to go on into the 12th round, what he has to prove, and the kid says "that I'm not a mistake."  This is the way that so many young men feel.  We feel we have to prove it to our Dads, present or absent, and to the world that we deserve to be here.  We feel we have to prove our worth with our accomplishments and actions.

Thankfully our Father God has already said we are good enough.  We are approved, not because of our accomplishments, or our intellect or our good deeds, but because of God's love.

If we believe in Jesus: "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."  Romans 8:16-17