Crazy Stupid Love

Last night Emily and I went to see Crazy Stupid Love in the dollar theater.

The premise of the story, featuring Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell, is that Carell's character is told by his wife that she wants a divorce. Carrell is devastated by the news and heads to the bar where he meets the sharply dressed, smooth, womanizing Gosling who offers to help Carrell become man enough to get his wife back. As Carrell fights to get his wife back, Gosling unintentionally falls in love with a girl(Emma Stone) realizing that while he was trying to "Miyagi" Carrell into being more like him, Gosling subconsciously is really looking to be more like Carrell. The movie makes it clear that Gosling is unhappy with his life, and it become apparent that falling in love is the solution to satisfy him.

As far as chick flicks go, this was a likable one. I laughed, I cried, and I made sure that I didn't internalize this message. In my eyes, Gosling's character is just a step away from becoming Carrell's character. Both are longing for love, which is a delightful sentiment but holds little weight compared to the heaviness of life. Passion fades and only marriages that are rooted in something deeper last.

I'd dare to even take this a step further. This weekend Emily, Laura Jo and I hosted a wedding shower for Kristi and Alex. We set up a station where people could write marriage advice for them. I couldn't help but think of something my Dad once told me about his and my Mom's relationship. He told me that commitment to a person fades, but your commitment to God doesn't. I think that often we look for a person's love to fix us, but only the love of God enables us to be fixed and love others.

This morning I was wrestling to have peace. I put on Ascend the Hill so I could listen to some hymns and try to focus on Jesus this morning instead of my worries and insecurities. The first song on the cd is "Be Thou My Vision." This song has long been a favorite of mine, but this morning it hit my heart in a way it never had before and suddenly I felt that I understood it.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Pardon my simple revelations, but so clearly this morning I realized that the way I view things often is not the way God sees things at all. The author of this hymn is asking God to be her sight, to see things for her. Eyes are the lense through which we view the world. Eyes allow us to take in light and know the truth. She is asking God to replace her shallow, colorless, nearly blind vision with His. How much more peace would we have if we could see the world through God's eyes, or at least trust that God can see the big picture even if we can't?