Fireproof

Rhonda and I went to see Fireproof last night. I have to confess that I am not a big fan of Christian films because they tend to be poor quality and a little too "tidy." what I mean by "tidy" is, they tend to make the story and situations a little too easy to fix. I will be the first to proclaim that with Jesus anything can be fixed. But sometimes the road is a difficult one and often very painful.

I felt that Fireproof was a little bit predictable and "tidy" but I also thought that of all the Christian films I've seen, it was the most realistic. I appreciated the fact that they dealt with addiction, fantasy, anger and marital unfaithfulness. Those are issues that many people face in today's world. I also appreciated the fact that both characters struggled with whether they really wanted to make the marriage work or not. Again, very real struggles that people face.

I left the movie wishing that I saw more reconciliation in marriages. Often couples have just given up and have no desire or energy to work on the marriage. The truth is, at least in the short term, it is easier to get divorced than to go through hard work of making the marriage work. If your marriage is struggling, will you please face the issues and work on the marriage before it's too late? Even though divorce may be the easier option in the short term, in the long term divorce leaves deep pain, destruction and conflict that lasts for years. In the long run, working on your relationship, learning to serve each other and founding your marriage in relationship with God will be the greatest thing you could ever do.

Go see Fireproof together. I am going to be purchasing some of the 40 day love challenge books that the writers of the movie have made available. Ask me for one and I'll give it to you for free.I believe you will look back 6 months or a year from now and be glad you put the time and effort into your marriage that it has needed for a long time.


Pastor Jeff