Today I saw an add for a Christian movie called Breakthrough. It started cute enough. Nice little town..nice little kid. Annnd then the clincher... the kid falls through the ice. The firemen who are looking for him turn to each other. One says "It's been 15 minutes. This is a recovery, not a rescue." And that's when I knew what type of movie this would be. Your typical "Mom prays for a miracle and gets it." movie.
Sigh.
I really can't stand these movies.
Don't get me wrong. I've seen miracles. I've seen things that defy modern medicine. Praise God.
But...
I've seen the other side. When you pray for a miracle and it doesn't happen. When you pray for healing and for some reason God says no. And before you go much further, no, I don't always understand God. I believe He exists. I believe He cares. And I sometimes have no clue why He saves some people and let's other's die.
And THAT'S the problem I have with movies like Unbreakable. Because to me, the message is God loves you, and if you're a good, faithful servant, He will heal your loved one. And on the flip side, the unspoken message is if He doesn't provide a miracle, I guess your faith wasn't good enough.
And that doesn't work for me. Because I've seen too many people; good, faithful people not get miracles. I've seen them walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death with dignity and grace that I don't possess. I've seen then suffer things that made me so angry at God. I've seen them bury their children. And THAT IS WRONG. So very, unspeakablely wrong.
So, for me at this point in my life, I think I'll hold off on the miracle movies. Thanks, but no thanks Christian movie makers. I'll pass.
Labels: Christian film, PTSD
