Is the Movie, “I Can Only Imagine,” for You?
Is it just about the song?
“You’ve got to see this movie,” a friend told me.
“What’s it about?” I asked.
“Forgiveness.”
And right away I asked myself, “Is this really something I want to see?”
Now, let me ask you: Is the movie, I Can Only Imagine, for You?
All of us, at one time or another, will have to forgive someone. For me, it’s happened more than once.
My Story
Our dad was abusive, and not only that, I severed our relationship. I hadn’t seen him in years, and then I got the call.
“Anne, you’ve got to see Dad, he’s got cancer,” Peggy said.
My sister’s words sounded urgent but they fell on deaf ears. I would not see the man who not only abused us physically, but emotionally as well.
But the straw that broke this camel’s back was when he blamed us for our mom’s death.
And yet, I did go see him in the hospital. And I even got to hear something no one had ever heard before. His first apology. He apologized for not being a good dad to me.
And even more surprising were the words I heard next, in my own voice.
“You did the best you could.”
What? I didn’t plan on saying that. I didn’t even plan on going to see him at all.
And yet, I did. And he was so glad I came.
And now I sit in a dark theatre watching, I Can Only Imagine.
More than once I could feel myself tense up. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it yet.
There were times it got hard and yet, even though buttons got pressed, it was okay. It was really okay.
Maybe your story is different
I can write whatever words I want, and see them appear before me on my screen. But I don’t know the story you’d write. I don’t know the words you’d choose.
I believe we should be nice to each other. Because honestly, we don’t know what another person has gone through.
If we guess that they’ve been through hard things, we’d be right.
When my brother and I were young, he got it the worst. And he never got to hear the apology. He came to the hospital too late.
Maybe you’ve been deeply hurt by someone. Someone you should have been able to trust.
And maybe you’re like my brother, Gus, who never heard the words, “I’m sorry.”
Then how in the world can you be expected to forgive?
Forgiveness is next to impossible
I never thought I’d be able to forgive my abuser. For years, I thought it was impossible.
And yet, in one moment when I looked down and saw my father, no longer was he the raging man who chased us with his belt. He didn’t look like the one whose eyes narrowed as he clenched his teeth and said words no one should ever hear.
No. The man before me was an older man. One with no power. One who was hurting. Not only from the illness he had, but also from knowing he had blown it.
In that moment, the anger I had stored away for years melted away. And in its’ place was mercy. And believe me, it was not something I planned on at all.
I thought I could never face him again, and yet, there I was at Veteran’s Hospital in Chicago, looking face to face, at the one who had scarred me for so long.
Yes, forgiveness does seem impossible. I’ll go even further. Forgiveness IS impossible.
But God.
God works with impossible. He saw our world was in need of a Savior and he provided one. But not just any one, his only one — his Son.
Yes, forgiveness is impossible — but God.
We forgive, but do we ever forget?
People struggle with forgiveness because they don’t really understand it.
Forgiveness is not:
-saying what the offender did was right.
-pretending the wrong was okay.
-minimizing the wrong done.
And to be fair, let me tell you what it is.
Forgiveness is
-a choice to release someone from the wrong they did.
-extending mercy to the one who hurt you.
-only possible with God.
About the movie
The theatre was quiet. People took in each and every carefully chosen word. Their eyes never left the screen, but their minds did. They listened, but many of them were remembering their own stories.
Are you holding grudges?
Do you spend your waking hours reliving those awful hurts that you endured?
Have you decided, no matter what, you’ll never forgive the one who’s hurt you?
Will you stay angry and make the person who hurt you pay for it?
When Jesus died on the cross, he paid for all our sins.
When we refuse to forgive someone, we are telling him,
“Jesus, I know you died for all our sins, but not this one. When you hung on the cross and said, ‘It is finished’, it’s not really.”
It’s up to you
I can’t make you see this movie, but I can share how I felt when I saw this story unfold before me.
I cried. But that’s okay, I even cry at commercials.
Besides, I wasn’t the only one crying in the theatre.
I cried because of my memories.
I cried because there are still places inside me that hurt and need to be healed.
I cried because sometimes we don’t get to experience restoration.
Yes, I cried. But tears are healing. And God saves every tear in a bottle. Believe me, I have plenty.
I felt hope
This movie radiated with hope.
Hope that another day could provide another chance.
Hope that people can change when God is a part of it.
Hope that God keeps his promises like when he promised he’d would work all things together for good.
We have hope because God exists.
He is our hope.
But what about you?
Should you see it? Is it for you? I can’t guarantee that it is. But I do know one thing.
You’ll never know if you don’t try.
Call to Action:
Is there someone you need to forgive?
Would you consider seeing this movie?
If you see it, I’d love to hear what you think of it.
Life is hard, so I write words to make it softer.
Download my free eBook, Helping Someone in Grief: 17 Things You Need to Know
