It is my belief that we should judge everything all the time, and everywhere, with the motive of staying on the path that leads to heaven. If it’s a movie, then what’s the value, does it convey moral ideals or does it corrupt me to watch it? These types of questions should govern what we allow to enter our mind.
This brings us to FOREVER MY GIRL. As a man that has been reached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and received a new heart from the one I once denied, the movie FOREVER MY GIRL, says much about repentance, forgiveness, enduring love, restoration, and family.
In this post, we will examine what this video has to say about the human heart. If you do not want me to ruin the surprises of the movie, read no further.
"He's not coming" “What?”
The big day has arrived and just at the point that it becomes the most real that you are getting married, you are told that your fiance’ is not coming. Not even devastated is sufficient to accurately express a bride who’s love is mature and substantial and not merely emotional. It is at this point in the story that the question arises, can such a deed of humiliation and abandonment during one of the most important days of a person’s life be forgiven?
The groom became a country star right out of high school.
Now the story skips ahead eight years, a significant amount of times has elapsed, so that, the question can now be asked is the writer serious? Some will undoubtedly think, no one would wait around that long! As I stated in the previous blog, my grandfather would not remarry or have anything to do with another woman when my grandmother passed at 39.
Perhaps this generation cannot do without, but that has not always been the case. Which begs the question, what is love today? Today is love so captivating, so complete that the thought of another woman even after death would be unthinkable. There is nothing wrong with remarriage and that is not what’s being said right now. Just trying to raise the bar on the concept of love.
When Liam’s best friend from high school dies in a car crash due to a drunk driver in another car, Liam returns home for the first time in eight years. At the funeral, he sees Josie, which is followed by a beautifully placed right hand to the gut. He also gets his first glimpse of the daughter he did not know he had.
We find out that the pastor of the church is his dad and that he and Josie sinned before they were to be married. Forgiveness is the part of life that points to God and acknowledges grace as having the sweetest aroma. God’s grace cost Him His Son, what can men forgive that is more costly than that?
Later Liam finds out where Josie works and during the visit, he comes face to face with the daughter he never knew he had. It is then he finds out that the phone message he has been listening to for the last eight years is Josie trying to tell him that he had a daughter.
Now, in my opinion, the story goes from being very good to great. The famous country star, who is so full of his own goodness and greatness, is forced to ride his old bike into town because he is without a car. His dad has been of no help and also let his mother’s rose bed die off.
When Liam gets to the house he confronts his father, “Why didn’t you tell me I had a daughter?” His dad responds, “I did tell you.” It is then that Liam is told by the most important figure in his life what a jerk he has been. His father went to his first concert, but he was so strung out on drugs or who knows what, that he threw his own dad out of the room and told him not to come back. He never returned Josie’s call and so he cut himself off from her, his dad, and his daughter.
It is a day of reckoning when we come face to face with the true reality of who and what we are. “All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives.” (Proverbs 16:2)
The church comes into play at this point because in part of the sermon he tells the congregation how important it is to forgive. “In forgiveness, we will be truly set free,” the father says.
The next part of the story revolves around Liam humbling himself before Josie in order to get to know his daughter. What Josie does not know is that Liam has never stopped loving her. His life has been full of sin and running away from his past. It is amazing, how complicated a human being can be!
The story takes a tremendous turn when Liam thinks no one can hear him speaking to Billy but both his dad and Josie are in ear’s range. Why did you leave, Billy wants to know. His answer is he was young and dumb. Furthermore, in response to Billy’s question, “But why didn’t you take my mom with you?” He says, “I wish I had, I really do. But I was so young, I didn’t know how to handle being famous.”
Josie wanted to know that Liam cared for her, and now she is beginning to believe it; in spite of being abandoned for eight years. At this point, Liam drives Josie home, she tells him she would like to go on a date with thee Liam Page, and he says he would love to do that with her.
If you want to see, romance as it gets kicked into high gear, watch this story unfold as the villain, of sorts, takes his long lost love, who he abandoned at the altar, on a date, having her picked up by a limo, that then meets him at a waiting helicopter. They fly to New Orleans where they meet his fans, and she hears him tell the newsman, on live T.V., in answer to his question, “Who is the beautiful woman on your arm?” “She’s the one!”
The best part of the scenes surrounding their date is when they return home. It is not that Liam tells Josie, “Thank you for showing me what my life could be like with you in it.” The best part is when he kisses her and they both laugh and she tells him, “Go!”, and he goes with a smile.
When Hollywood interjects a wretched sex sin in a romance movie, they not only denigrate the characters, distort the person and character of God, but they also lead countless young people into an act that will haunt them all their lives and eternity. Such suffering and far more is guaranteed to all apart from the salvation that only Christ can supply.
The story goes from being great to being awesome at this point. Billy is choking on a piece of hotdog and Liam is drawn back to the death of his mother. The audience comes to realize at this point that Liam was in the room when his mother tragically died and could not be resuscitated by the doctor. He was about ten.
Furthermore, he froze and could not help Billy. His brother-in-law had to come to the rescue.
Then, Liam leaves home after confessing to his father that he is a bad person. If there is any doubt about Liam’s repentant attitude it becomes perfectly clear in this part of the story.
Every life has its share of grief and pain. No person lives in this world filled with the consequences of sin without sorrow. Pain is real, but it does excuse sin. The greatest sin of all is unbelief. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18)
Most people do not realize how seriously God takes unbelief. Lack of faith is not just a lack of trust in God, it is a rejection and an unwillingness to acknowledge that God even exists. The world lives as though God does not exist. It does not take into account His will, in our culture men scoff at the idea of the Ten Commandments. It is one thing to reject other men who are created beings, it is quite another to reject thee eternal life, the One to whom we will all be brought into account for the life we lived.
You will love the performance and part that Liam’s daughter plays in this story.
In love and marriage, there are two elements that are absolutely essential and that is grace and forgiveness. This is coming from a man married 46 years. See FOREVER MY GIRL and enjoy a look at grace and enduring love portrayed very well.
5 stars