Confessions of a Hallmark Movie Critic
I have a confession to make. I have watched several Hallmark Christmas movies this month. I’m sure you’re thinking, Why is she confessing that? For years, I have resisted watching them for 2 reasons.
- Reason #1: Those movies have a mysterious power over my will. If I watch the first 15 minutes, I have to finish it. Even though the plots are predictable, I’m still captivated. (The plot usually goes like this: A girl meets a boy, but they struggle with obstacles to their love until the last 15 or 20 minutes of the movie.)
- Reason #2: I prefer action movies or dramas. My movie preferences match my literary preferences, too. I would choose a Brad Thor novel about espionage over a Nicholas Sparks romance, although I’ve read several.
Confessions of a Fairy Tale Princess
For all of my objections about Hallmark Christmas movies, I admit that feel-good endings satisfy me the most. That’s why I love fairy tales. Cinderella tops my list of favorite fairy tales because she embodies the romantic idea that life’s unfairness can be reversed. The reversal of fortune in a story creates feel-good endings. I love the reversal because . . .
I am the protagonist in my very own Cinderella story (and so are you).
Here’s how the reversal goes in my story . . .
I was living with fear and a deep need to be valued, worth something to someone. Then, Jesus entered my story and rescued me.
Sin said, “I will grind this one into the dust. I will make garbage out of her. The world will laugh when they pass this crumpled heap. He will never want her again. He will see what she really loves and who she really serves — herself!”
From Surrendered: Learning to Trust and Rest, p. 21
Jesus smiled knowingly as He stooped and gently lifted the lifeless heap. “This one will be beautiful again. She will come to life when
my life flows through her.”
This week, I asked Him to show me lies I believe about my identity, I pictured Him, sitting on His kingly throne, with me, seated next to Him. I heard Him say proudly, “This is my daughter. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Living Out My Identity
Yesterday, I read Ephesians 1-3, personalizing every verse that pointed out the truth. Occasionally, when I need reinforcement, I read Bible-based identity statements out loud. Here are a few:
I renounce the lie that I am worthless, inadequate, helpless or hopeless. In Christ, I am significant. God says,
I am a branch of the true vine, Jesus, a channel of His life (see John 15:1,5).
I am God’s workmanship, created for good works (see Ephesians 2:10).
I have been chosen and appointed by God to bear fruit (see John 15:16).
From The Steps to Freedom in Christ by Neil T. Anderson
Whenever I hear another woman’s story, I listen for the moment when she believed that she was less than who Jesus says she is. Her shame and hopelessness can be traced back to that lie. But, freedom and transformation come when she learns to stand in faith, believing that she is who God says she is. I wrote about how much I love to watch transformation, here.
Every time I watch Jesus restore a person’s identity, I have a front-row seat to a fairy-tale-like story. Now, that’s more fulfilling than watching a Hallmark Christmas movie!
If you’d like to receive more thoughts about faith, subscribe to my blog, here. You’ll also receive my monthly newsletter and hear a freedom story from a woman I’ve met.
My Latest Posts
- The Beauty of Beginnings
- The Best Gift You Can Give Your Children in 2020
- What Does “Staying in Love” Mean?
- Are You a Spiritual Infant or Adult?
- A Wedding & A New Season
I quoted from Surrendered: Learning to Trust & Rest above, my 30-day devotional book with lessons from the vine and branch. You can find it, here, available in soft cover or PDF download.
Stay Rooted in Jesus
