fireproof

Julie and I and some friends of ours went to see this movie last night. It was really good. Not in the usual way. There wasn’t any great acting accomplishment and the script was kind of wooden. But the story was absolutely true to life. The review I link above explains the attraction of the movie this way:

What they [the movie’s makers] do want is for their earnest project to turn your marriage upside down.

You might notice that some of the lines in Fireproof feel a little wooden. And you might notice that the script indulges more dialogue (most of it spiritual) than you’re used to hearing in movies about firemen. But the honest truth is that you don’t really care by the time the credits roll, because you’re too busy feeling your own feelings and thinking your own thoughts about your own relationships. This is the kind of movie that succeeds, sometimes despite itself, because it does a superlative job of digging into serious issues that so deeply affect so many of us every day.

so many couples have so much pain in their daily lives together that can be avoided if they just surrender their selfishness at the door and follow God’s plan for marriage as I tried to outline it here.

I especially liked the way the movie made it very clear that each spouse’s obligation to obey God with regard to their mate is independent of the other mate’s actions. In other words, the husband needed to learn to love his wife regardless of whether she respected him (and she very much didn’t).

Most importantly, the film made it clear that the basis for love in a marriage and the only way that a truly loving marriage is even possible is if the spouses experience true love in Christ. The selfless sacrificial love that He exhibited and gives to us is our example as we try to love one another.

Anyway, go see the movie with your spouse. Here are some related resources for further exploration afterward.