Lessons From A Hallmark Movie | Day 2 | Happy Endings
There are several reasons I like Hallmark movies but at the top of the list is their predictability. I know what is going to happen: there is going to be a happy ending. For example: the guy and the girl end up together; they get the job they’ve been after; they make a return to what’s important- family & relationships. Even when I watch Hallmark movies, I have this fear that the movie isn’t going to work out. I’ve watched too many other movies that end up in heartbreak or death. Rogue One, anyone?? Up until this point, in all of Star Wars stories, at least some key characters live. They mostly stick to the same story line. That is until Rogue One. The writers and directors make a bold move, switching up the storyline, and everyone dies. I remember watching it in the theatres and remaining seated at the end of the movie in shock. Everyone died, how awful! There is a fear in me that Hallmark is going to play the same kind of trick on me. That in one of the movies, it won’t turn out in a happy ending. As I sit in suspense as I watch Hallmark movies, Preston laughs at me and says, “I don’t know why you worry, you know what’s going to happen.”
We all long for a happy ending, don’t we? We like predictability and we like to be in control. Since we were little, our minds were filled with Fairy Tales, Disney Movies, and Happily Ever Afters. The story lines are all similar. Something bad happens and then something happens to make it right or fix the problem. Defeat the evil king and restore peace. We like the predictability, and we often apply and expect these narratives in our lives.
Solomon, one of the most successful men in all of scripture, gives us some insight into this. Solomon asked for wisdom and the Lord granted it to him. Because he asked for wisdom instead of riches, the Lord granted him both wisdom and riches. He was not only the wisest man to live, but also is considered to be one of the wealthiest men to ever live. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon claims that “(God) has set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3: 11). We all desire something more and we have been given this desire from God himself. The book of Ecclesiastes begins and ends with the same response, “Everything is vanity” (1:2; 12:8). The Hebrew word here is hebel, which literally means “vapor”. It alludes to something that is fleeting or passing away. After examining and reflecting on all of his life, he concludes that everything is meaningless. This is the man who had more wisdom and wealth then we could even comprehend and at the end of his life he reflects that it is all meaningless.
This declaration from Solomon sounds a lot like Jesus,
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?” (Matthew 16: 26).
The story is the same, from Old Testament to New Testament, things of this world will not satisfy us. They might make us happy for a moment, but they will not last. I want to make a distinction, a happy ending is not bad in and of itself. God longs to lavish good gifts on his children (Matthew 7:11). For example, I have been richly blessed in my marriage to Preston. Some would say that I have found my “happy ending,” and I do feel so incredibly blessed to be in a relationship with a man who seeks to follow Jesus in everything he does and leads me to do the same. However, the Hallmark or fairy tale definition of a happy ending, give us a short-sighted view. Yes, I have a rich relationship with my husband, but the difference is it’s not perfect, like relationships/ marriages are often portrayed in the Hallmark movies. You can’t make getting the job, getting the relationship, getting material goods your chief goal or your life purpose. You may get the happy ending, but you WILL be disappointed. It will go away.
The Happy Ending for a follower of Christ looks different than that of a Hallmark movie.
The true Christmas story doesn’t have a Happy Ending according to the Hallmark standard. The greatest story ever told does not end in a triumph like so many expected. Jesus didn’t come as a rich and powerful military conqueror, but was born to a humble family as a vulnerable infant. His power was spiritual, not physical or political as the world expected it to be. Many people missed Jesus because they were looking for something else. They had the story line mapped out, and when it varied, they missed the main character.
We all fear a plot twist in the storyline. We fear that what we have planned for our lives may not align with what God has planned for us. Today, may we choose to trust Jesus. As Preston reminds me when I am on the edge of my seat watching a Hallmark movie, can I remind you today: “Don’t worry, you know what’s going to happen.” May we not sit on the edge of our seats, waiting to see the outcome. Today, let’s rest in the fact that we will have a happy ending. It may look different than the Hallmark version, but Jesus always wins. There may be uncertainty in the journey but there is no uncertainty about the outcome. There will be pain and suffering on the earth, but if we put our faith in Jesus and devote our lives to following Him, we will be with him in heaven. That is a happier ending than any Fairy Tale or Hallmark movie could even begin to portray!
Prayer: Jesus, help us to trust you with the outcome. Help us to submit our desire for control and predictability before you. Help us to want what you want more than what we want. Thank you that your story isn’t always what is expected, but it is always what is best.
Wishing you Christmas Cheer!
