'Finding Faith' Movie Ending Explained And Summary: What Happened To Jaylen? 

Finding Faith is a sweet and simple story about the Mitchell family, who were going through a tough phase in their lives. It tells us that often God’s timing differs from our own, but that does not mean that He does not have a plan in place. It tells us to hang on a little, as things sooner or later turn out fine. While the film insists on portraying faith in God as the solution to many problems in life, I think that there is a deeper meaning beneath it all. So let’s find out what happened in the film and if the family was able to cope with the grief and bring their lives back on track.

Spoiler Alert

What Happened To Jaylen? 

Jaylen Mitchell had done everything he could to find a new job, but even after days of effort, nobody called him back. There were some who couldn’t meet his salary expectations, and some just didn’t feel he was a right fit for the job. Jaylen knew that he needed to find a source of income, as the debts kept on piling up with every passing day. He had not told his wife, Faith, anything about it, as he didn’t want her to get all bothered. He had faith in his own abilities, and he knew sooner rather than later he would find a suitable job for himself. He briefly discussed his problems with his father, Henry, during a family get-together, and Henry offered to lend him some money. Jaylen was a righteous man, and he knew that he had already taken a lot from his old man. He told his father that he would make him proud by finding a job and repaying every cent he owed. The Mitchell family, apart from Faith (ironically), were devout Christians, and they did spend a lot of time at church. In fact, Jaylen gave basketball coaching to a few kids, and the team represented the church at various tournaments. It was all hunky-dory until Faith found out that they were way behind on their bank payments. Faith got a bit paranoid, and she asked Jaylen why he was wasting all his time coaching the kids for free when they were in desperate need of money. She got even more annoyed that she had literally killed herself by working overtime just so that she could pay off their debts.

It took Faith a day or two, but she realized that she didn’t do the right thing by blaming her husband. She realized that at that hour they needed to act as a team and support each other. She knew that Jaylen was trying his level best to get a job, and she just needed to show a little more support. Jaylen was leaving with his basketball team to take part in a tournament. Faith was also supposed to go with them, but at the last moment she had to stay back due to professional obligations. Jaylen was a good husband, and he understood that Faith was in a difficult spot, which is why she wasn’t able to come. Jaylen’s parents offered to accompany him, as it was a 6-hour-long drive and they wanted somebody to be there with him. But Jaylen told them not to worry, as he was fine going alone. Jaylen met with an accident, and his van turned upside down. He somehow managed to come out of the vehicle, and then he helped the kids in exiting one after the other. Jaylen was so tired that after he helped the last kid come out of the van, he just didn’t have the energy to save himself. Moments later, the vehicle exploded, claiming Jaylen’s life. 

How did Faith end up losing her custody of her son?

It is not easy to cope with the kind of grief that totally shatters you. Faith’s life had turned upside down after the untimely demise of her husband. She left her job, she started drinking, and she tried everything she could to escape the pain. What she didn’t know was that drowning herself in alcohol or consuming drugs would only give her temporary relief. One night she went to a bar, met an old friend named Maria, downed a few shots of tequila, popped a Xanax, and then eventually ended up making out with a stranger. She stopped midway and rushed back to her house. Henry and Helen had realized what Faith was up to. They didn’t tell her anything for a long period of time, but when they felt that she was up to her neck in it, they decided to take charge of the matter. They didn’t want the future of their grandson, Bryson, to be spoiled because of whatever had happened. They decided to take Bryson with them, though Faith begged them to not separate her from her son. It’s easy, and I really mean it when I say it, to consume alcohol and take drugs to forget about everything. Had it been a permanent solution, I wouldn’t have had any problems with it. But the morning after leaves you feeling even more depressed. You feel happy or less inhibited for a while, but that is merely an illusion. Also, to keep that illusion, you end up doing it more frequently because you are not ready to accept your situation and deal with it. Moreover, Helen didn’t like Faith, as the latter didn’t go to church and she was quite blunt about it. She was always quite hard on her, and she didn’t hesitate to blame her for her son’s demise. Henry, on the other hand, was much more calm and composed, and he kept telling his wife that Faith too was their daughter, and they shouldn’t criticize her like that. 

Finding Faith tells us that being religious and having faith in God is the solution to all problems. Obviously, if that works for somebody, it’s great, but I feel that one can be spiritual and still not be religious. I feel that you need to do the right thing, especially when you do not want to do it. If you cannot control your mind internally, then you need to do certain things externally that have an impact on it. If you feel anxious, you should go to sleep; if you feel hopeless and depressed, then a good workout might be able to amp up your spirits. Getting up early, following a schedule, eating the right food, and living up to the little promises that you make for yourself make you feel accomplished and give you the motivation to come back again the next day and do it all over again. Sometimes you just need to sit and soak in all the feelings, good or bad. I believe Faith did that, and moreover, it was her son who motivated her to get better. She wanted him back, and she was ready to do anything to make that happen. 

How did Faith bring her life back on track? 

Faith started working out, she started meeting pastor Louis Wesley quite regularly, who told her that she needed to talk to people about the things that impacted her. She started going to AA meetings, and slowly she saw that she started to feel in control of her emotions. Also her friend, Maria, had a near death experience when she overdosed on drugs and ended up getting admitted to the hospital. Maria had become Faith’s good friend of late, as both of them were dealing with similar situations. Maria had lost her son and was yet to make peace with the loss. She drowned herself in alcohol and did whatever she could to escape that pain. It was a wake up call for Faith when she saw Maria on the hospital bed and she really got scared. That fear, combined with the love she had towards her son, made her bring her life back on track. Faith found out that Jaylen had a life insurance policy of $600,000 and he hadn’t told anybody about it. Faith didn’t have a job and she had a million payments to make and so that revelation felt like divine intervention. She repaid all her debts and then decided that she would move out of town, go to Atlanta and make a fresh start. 

Over a period of time, Faith and pastor Louis had grown quite close to each other. Louis was a family friend and he had lost his wife in a terrible accident. When two people are stuck in a similar kind of situation, they understand each other better. Louis had feelings for Faith but the latter always felt that it was too early for her to entertain anybody. But that’s when Henry told her that it is never too early and that she should consider talking to him. Also, Louis had told Faith that she shouldn’t move to Atlanta just because she wanted to run away from her fears. He said he would support her if she felt that that was what her heart wanted. When Faith was just about to leave Los Angeles, she had a change of heart. She went to the church, hugged Pastor Louis and told him she was not going to leave. Faith had realized that she was just trying to in ways from her past when she should have faced it head on. Henry and Helen were more than happy for Faith, and I do believe that soon she would make her relationship with Louis official and make him a part of the family.  

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