Life Isn't Like A Movie

Life isn't like a movie.

There is no beautiful hill in Austria

to run onto with my arms spread wide,

singing an impromptu song in perfect pitch.

I can't stop people dead in their tracks,

captivating them with my voice,

inspiring them to join in harmony... and choreography

that easily rivals So You Think You Can Dance.

There isn't the perfect joke at the perfect time,

the beautiful speech that heals all wounds,

the poem that reunites two people

with its language that can't be ignored.

Life isn't like a movie.

It's much messier and more complicated than that.

There isn't a rainstorm to set up the perfect kiss

after a fight in the piazza del Colosseo.

There's no room filled with flowers

or a symphony to slow dance to.

There's no surprise wedding in Ireland,

or secret notes with post scripts.

There's no hiking to the edge of a cliff

to watch the sunset in reverent stillness.

And maybe that's okay.

I always wanted that fairytale ending,

true love's kiss, white and pink lilies.

I wanted grand romantic gestures

and star-filled skies.

But I know now that life isn't a movie.

Life isn't a movie because it's much deeper than that.

Flowers, symphonies, Ireland—sometimes that happens.

But there's so much more.

Life isn't like a movie because

romance isn't the end all, be all.

The story doesn't begin with a passionate kiss

and a fairytale ending that makes all the girls cry.

As it turns out, there's so much more to desire in this life.

It's not that I don't hope for stars and lilies

or sporadic dance routines in the cafeteria.

But even more so, I want God.

I want His timing, I want His desires in my heart.

I desire His love, which tops all movie plots

and all Jane Austen novels.

I desire true joy that comes from God's sovereign plans,

not happiness from the plans I make for myself.

In short, I want all of the above--

the wedding in Ireland, the cool dance moves,

the pouring rainstorm and the hero.

But I don't want it if it's not how God wants it.

All the world's a stage, and I am merely a player

living out God's perfect script for me.

So in the end, all I can say is give me Jesus.

I cast my crowns at His throne, all my deepest dreams and desires,

knowing that He is going to be my happy ending,

and He is going to orchestrate everything in between.

I want to delight in Him, and He will guide me.

He tells me to take risks, He tells me to trust.

He tells me that real life is much deeper than movies.

So as the plot thickens, just give me Jesus.