Discovering the Surprising Truth

“The movies you love are telling you something important, something about your heart . . .”
– John Eldridge

The first time I realized a movie was telling me something important about the secret longings of my heart was when I saw Titanic. By May of 1998, six months after its release, people were still buzzing about it. With a whopping 11 Oscar wins in March, including Best Picture, and setting new box-office records, it is little wonder this movie continued to be the talk of the town. Finally, I had the opportunity to go and see what all the fuss was about. In the darkened theater I sat, not knowing my life was about to change.

I sat dead center. “Dead” also describes the theater that night, it was almost empty. Titanic had enjoyed a long run, almost everyone had already seen it. There was no popcorn, in fact, I don’t remember how I even managed to afford a movie ticket, but there I was. Little did I know; it was a divine appointment. I would learn later just how important it would be.

As the story unfolded I got caught up in the relationship between Jack and Rose. They were a paradox of sorts. She, who seemingly had everything, had nothing. And he, who seemingly had nothing, had everything that mattered. Oh, how I longed to see them live happily ever after! I knew that ship was going down and this would not end well. Yet I was silently, stubbornly rooting for these two, as we all were. We all wanted to see Jack and Rose defy the odds and get safely off that boat, together.

When that didn’t happen, I cried – as discreetly as possible – at least while I was still at the theater. But as soon as I was alone, I let out the gut-wrenching sobs that had been firmly lodged in my heart and in my throat.

For weeks afterwards, I found myself sporadically bursting into tears. Scenes of the movie kept playing over and over in my mind at the most unexpected moments, and I would instantly be in tears all over again.

I tried to reason my way out of the deep emotional trench I seemed to have fallen into. After all, I knew it was only a movie, I knew Jack was only a fictional character, and I knew it was the state-of-the-art special effects that made it all seem so real. But my heart refused to listen to reason. I was grieved to the depths of my soul and I couldn’t pin down why.

It wasn’t the scenes of death and destruction that made me cry. It wasn’t the scenes in which Rose discarded Jack or turned her back on him, it wasn’t even the sight of Jack’s frozen body slipping beneath the surface of the ocean.

It was the scenes where Jack’s love for Rose was most obvious.

I finally realized I was in mourning not because Jack died, but because I longed for a Jack in my life. I had never felt loved the way Jack loved Rose. I so wanted to be admired, sought after, rescued, forgiven, pursued, and forgiven again, the way Rose had been. I deeply desired to be cherished, valued, and freed to be myself the way Jack cherished, valued and freed Rose to be herself. Jack was so sure of himself, so comfortable in his own skin, so completely at ease in every situation. Because of his self-confidence, he had the capacity to give Rose everything she needed.

Yes, I longed for someone to love me the way that Jack loved Rose, but I had a horrible fear that my ship had already sailed. I dreaded the thought that my future would be a bleak, loveless existence stretching out as far into my future as I dared imagine. I desperately began to pray that God would show me how my desire for a Jack-kind love could ever be fulfilled in my life.

And He did.

I learned something incredible. I learned something earth-shattering that forever changed my life for the better. It is something so extraordinary that I’ve written this blog to share the Surprising Truth with you. What I learned has literally made me a new person. What I learned has given me hope for the future, and joy for today. What I learned brings me peace in the midst of life’s storms.

Reader:
Do you have hope for the future and joy for today?
Do you have a Jack-kind of love?
Take a moment to share your thoughts...