The best kind of movie nights begin with fresh-baked cookies and large bowls of popcorn, and end with meaningful girl talk that lasts long after the credits have finished rolling. And the best kind of friends are ones who actually take you up on your reading recommendations, and then suggest a movie night to watch the film version of one of your all-time favorite stories.
I’m not usually much of a movie person, but I could watch Far From the Madding Crowd a hundred times and still be drooling over Mr. Oak. That’s exactly what I told my friend Kristin who, like the wonderful friend that she is, promptly rented the book from the library and planned a movie night with me and a few of our friends! It’s one of my favorite memories from this past winter, but the best part of the evening turned out to be the conversations that happened afterward.
There were four of us girls split between two couches, and I was delighted when the conversation naturally turned from our thoughts on the movie to deeper and more vulnerable topics. My friend Morgan and her husband, Shane, have been married for almost two years and they are both preparing to finish up their studies at John Brown University. As we chatted, I asked Morgan if she and Shane had ever considered doing international missions, and in her response I found a new definition of bravery and courageous faith.
She explained that their interest in living overseas one day was actually one of the things that drew them to each each other. And then she laughed as she explained how ironic it was that, now that they’re married, they both feel called to stay right here in Siloam Springs, Arkansas – at least for now. God’s plans are funny like that, huh?
Morgan went on say that she had been particularly encouraged by a sermon that our pastor had preached about Abraham, who most people think of as a star sojourner of the Bible. However, Pastor Ted pointed out that while Abraham is best known for being a go-er,
he did not move until God told him to.
That observation hit me the way light from a light bulb does when you screw it into place without realizing that you left the light switch in the “on” position – with a sudden wave of shock, because it hadn’t occurred to you that light would appear there, and excitement, because you realize that your “handyman skills” are still as sharp as you’d hoped they were. With a similar mix of shock and excitement, I was realized that sometimes bravery looks like staying. And it only just occurred to me as I typed that last sentence that God’s been sowing seeds of staying in my heart for months before I was able to catch a glimpse of its blessing. And so, mostly for my own benefit, let me say it again:
Sometimes bravery looks like staying.
And you know what else? Abraham’s going at the sound of God’s command would not have been nearly as profound if he had already been wandering all of his life. He first had to stay in order to have a place to leave from.
And that’s just it – when I listen to Morgan and Shane’s story and hear their commitment to follow God exactly and only when He leads them – I am overwhelmed by how brave they are. Even more so, I am a little in awe of how much this path requires them to be in tune with God’s voice. They have made an intentional choice to not “go just to go” or stay just because it’s comfortable, but to stay while remaining open and willing for if/when God says to them “go.” This is bravery, friends.
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During that same evening on a different couch, two of my dearest friends were just meeting for the first time (another thing that makes my heart leap for joy – when my friends become friends!). Kristin had initially suggested the movie night after reading the book version of Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy at my suggestion. I was especially excited to watch this movie with Kristin because she always has the most interesting and unique perspectives on a story line. She notices themes and peculiarities that I never would have picked up on, and her thoughts add so much richness and depth to my experience of a movie! In my opinion, friends like that are a true treasure.
Though Kristin was only just meeting Bailey for the first time, she knew of her through mutual friends and the two clicked right away. Kristin and her husband, Daniel, have been married for almost two years and Bailey was engaged at the time with just months until her wedding date. I first mentioned that Bailey was still looking for a wedding dress after Morgan and I had explained how her husband was good friends with Bailey’s fiance. Kristin could have felt a little left out during this conversation, or even understandably disinterested because, as we’d already established, she was the only one in the room who had no connection whatsoever to this girl. However, she had a radically different response. She offered her own wedding dress to a girl she’d never even met before. Even as I write those words, my brain can hardly wrap itself around that kind of generous love.
And that is what I witnessed on my couch, in my living room, that night when Bailey joined us for the second half of the movie night – love.
It wasn’t showy or puffed-up or even tangled up with any kind of strings attached to it. It was just love. Kind, gentle. The kind of offering that feels less like a sacrifice and more like a gift. More like grace. More like Jesus.
Over the course of one evening, I witnessed extraordinary love and bravery right in the middle of my very ordinary life and it was a much-needed reminder that God is always moving in ways that we could never expect, even in the midst of our ordinary. And I think we could all use a little reminder of that.
How have you witnessed love and bravery in your own life lately? Have you thanked your loved ones for being living, breathing reminders of God’s extraordinary work? I’m a firm believer that there are two things you can never do too often: say nice things about other people and thank God for His faithfulness. Let’s all try to do a little more of that today.
with love and wanderlust,
Cassady
