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Sunday, February 8, 2009

Sunday!

Hi ladies!

Hope ya'll are having a great weekend! Originally, it was planned just to mention that Sunday's feature is still in the works, we hope you are enjoying down time with your families before a new week and to check back on Monday for guaranteed fun with Angela.

...until tonight.

Let me set the scene:
Girls night out.
Movie theater.
EVERY seat is full. The theater is SO crowded that my girlfriend and I are sitting on the the second row.

Rewind:
A reoccuring life verse for me has been Proverbs 4:23.


My dad shared this verse in his sermon at our wedding.

It is engraved on the inside of both my husband's and my wedding bands.
It was even written on the wall above the water fountain at the YMCA I attended for my workout this morning.


"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

How does this verse apply to our life as wives and mothers? Back to the movie theater...

You see...it was my girlfriend's birthday and we wanted to celebrate with a good chick flick. Our selection of the evening happened to be He's Just Not That Into You. I had no clue what it was going to be about but knew that I loved the cast.


The movie begins. It quickly becomes apparent that the movie is all about relationships...friendships as well as dating, marital and extramarital relationships. Basically, there is no moral standard for sex (which isn't too much of a surprise for Hollywood) but the barometer for a "solid" relationship was subtle and disturbing...at least where marriage is concerned.


In summary, the most solid, stable relationship in the movie is between a "live-in" couple. The worst relationship happens to be between a married couple. There is a negative connotation of marriage...as if it is a burden. For example, in a heart to heart convo, two of the characters seriously conclude that "plenty of married people have figured out that they actually belong with someone else." This justification was followed by one of the girls tempting a handsome husband away from his beautiful wife. Plugged In Online hits the nail on the head when they write that the movie:


"largely reflects our culture's current ideas about love, sex and relationships—most of which are utterly disconnected from what Scripture has to say about these significant subjects. In that sense, the movie aptly illustrates Judges 17:6 'Every man did that which was right in his own eyes'"

All of this to say, I left the theater FURIOUS. It made me loathe seductive, floozy, homewreckin' women AND the men who fall for them. I immediately was spending my energy...on my night "off," mind you...mulling over the consequences of a series of subtle lies planted by the enemy. These lies were so consuming even for me that I was a breathe away from exerting the rest of my energy on bashing men on the ride home with my girlfriend.

The Lord stopped me in my tracks and reminded me:

HANNAH! Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life! I failed.

Yes, my intentions were merely to see a harmless movie for my friend's birthday, but I was instantly convicted of the consequence of what I put into my mind. I thought of the way I feel after I leave Bible Study each week...what it feels like after I compare my life to God's standard. I always leave feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, complete and full...

vs.

...the feelings above that overpowered me based on society's mindset. I left feeling heavy, burdened, weary, inadequate and empty.

It is my choice. With what am I going to fill my mind? I can dwell on the lies of society OR I can dwell on Truth and promises of God (guard my heart). My choice determines the outcome (the wellspring of life). THEN, the best thing I can do is focus on MY house. Who will I let build it? Who will I choose to watch over it?

"Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain. " --Psalm 127:1

He's just that into YOU!
Hannah :)

12 comments:

Glenda said...

Preach it, sister. All that is so right. Love ya.

Momofgirls said...

Wow! Thankyou for that! Wow Wow Wow!!!

Aundrea-aka Zerbert Baby said...

So true, Hannah. I rarely go to a movie anymore, unless I check Plugged In Online. That website is a great resource. Thanks for your encouraging words.

Dolly said...

Thanks for the review. That's too bad to hear. I read that book when I was single (embarrasing! I was trying to figure out why things weren't working out with me and a guy and the title of the book was just that). I wanted to see the movie but good old Hollywood always has a way of getting this girl stirred up on how you described it too. I'll save my $9.00.

Unknown said...

Good move on saving your $$$, Dolly. In hindsight, I'm kinda mad at myself that I didn't walk out and ask for my $$$$ back. Live and learn, live and learn. :)

AmyA said...

I thought for sure I saw you on the front row of the balcony at church last night! You have a twin out there . . .

Melanie said...

This was great!
It's so difficult to find good girly movies. The Jane Austen ones are good but not modern.
Melanie@Bella~Mella

Unknown said...

Welcome Mella Bella. I LOVE JA movies!

AmyA, YEAH for visiting! Don't worry...I WAS indeed on the front row of the balcony @ church. I saw the movie on Sat. Gosh, I would've been REALLY mad if I'd missed church to see that!

Donna said...

Yes, thanks for the heads up. The cast of the movie is good and I was looking forward to seeing this but now I'm not going to. I hate when Hollywood glamourizes those kinds of lifestyles. Thanks for the heads up!

Kristi Smalley said...

Great post, Hannah! You are so right and we do need to be more conscious of what we put before our eyes. You put it all so well!

Angela said...

Thanks Hannah! We haven't been to a movie in a long long time! And they're so expensive, I would hate to waste my money on one like this! I didn't know of Plugged In, thanks for the tip!

Kaelin S said...

This is exactly what we've been living and preaching in our home since the beginning of 2009 - we have had our TV/cable off for almost 6 weeks- a complete detox has occurred and every single person in our family has agreed that we are "over" our TV habits and have zero desire to ever have it back on! Praise God for that! We next moved on to music and Ipod downloads. You are right, the devil is working through Hollywood, but he will not win this battle even though it seems like it with all the influence that is out there to pollute our minds. At least you have the discernment to recognize this, and can share this through this blog with others! Way to say it, Hannah. You have a clear spiritual gift of discernment! love you-K