Now, for the topic.
In today's culture, revenge movies are pretty common. Everywhere you look, you can practially see an advertisement or trailer for a new movie where the protagonist was wronged, and now they're ready to kick some tail to get even. It's normal, and everyone loves a good ending where the hero gets everything back and more, and the bad guy either turns good or is capped by the hero. Of course, as a Christian, a lot of these movies aren't that great to watch. Other than the obvious profanities that seem to come with every movie, there are the sexual innuendos, the blood and guts, and the people dying in seemingly every scene. Not really that great for someone to take in.
So, when I thought of this blog post's idea, I began searching for a movie I had seen with a revenge plot that wasn't too graphic. Unfortunately, I'm not a big movie-goer. I'd rather read. Originally, this post was going to be on a short story I'd read that dealt with revenge, but seeing as how basically noone would know who or what I was talking about, and I couldn't find a link to it, I thought I'd give movies a try. But anyway. I found a few good movie lists with "The Top 20 Revenge Movies EVER!!!" and things like that, but going down the lists, I found that I'd only seen about 2. I thought about doing Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but realized that it was basically the most graphic film ever made, next to maybe the Saw movies or whatever. Like I said, I don't watch that many. Another one that I could have used was G.I. Joe, one of the 2 ultra-romantic (...) movies that Scott and I watched for our anniversary yesterday. Seeing as how that movie was ridiculously stupid, I figured not. Same with I Am Legend. That one wasn't bad, but still didn't make the cut.
In the end, after much searching, I stumbled across the one I wanted. It's not one that anyone would think of, and so bear with me.
Yes, your eyes are correct. I picked The Princess Bride.
The funniest part about all of this is, I can't STAND this movie. After a life-scarring weekend where I was made to watch this movie 3 times, I can't watch it. Once in a while I let myself see it if it's on television, but other than that, I can't do it.
Hilariously though, it's a revenge story. How? Easy. Princess Buttercup and Westley love each other. He goes off to earn money so they can live happily ever after, but his ship is destroyed and she thinks he's dead. She goes and becomes engaged to a real jerk of a prince, and yadda yadda yadda, somehow Butter and Westley are reunited and blah blah blah, they fight everyone and end up a-okay.
The one part of the movie I like is Inigo Montoya, but who couldn't love that guy.
"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
Seriously, how could you not like that.
But anyway, through the movie the couple (as well as our Spanish hombre) get revenge on everyone that tore apart their pretty lives and kick the crap out of anyone in their way. We love the story. Bad things happen, they kill and/or hurt everyone badly, the bad guys get it, yay happy ending.
Why do we enjoy that so much? Because sometimes, it's what we want for our own lives. When something bad happens, it's easy to want to get revenge on whoever made it happen. It's how we think, and the way the media is: i.e. all the revenge movies previously listed, they support it.
God doesn't.
He didn't create us so that we could constantly be hackin' each other up because they jumped ahead of us in line for our Big Mac at McDonald's. He made us so that, when that happens, we smile and don't mind it. We still get the Big Mac, so what's the big deal?
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." Matthew 5:38-40.
A speaker at Whitehall camp said it best. Pastor Donnie said, "If you come up to me and slap me across the face, what do you think I'm going to do?" We answered, turn the other cheek. "What do you take me for," he cried, "a doughnut? I'm slappin' you back!"
That's how the world raised us to think. But God has us thinking a different way.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34.
We gotta' love everyone. That's what God wants us to do. It's not hard, but we make it out to be. We make it seem that, instead of finding it okay to be accepting and loving everyone, we have to be crude, rude, and mean all the time. Racial slurs are okay. Shooting everyone? That's cool. I don't know about you, but I hate when I turn the news on and for a solid 20 minutes, all I hear are stories of murders, rapes, drug busts, and suicides. Does anyone else feel this way?
So here's your No Restraints challenge for this post. Let's make a difference. No Inigo Montoya mindsets. No holding grudges. I challenge you to try to make an honest effort to love everyone you come into contact with in the next 24 hours. Can't do that? Start small. Give it 12 hours. Even 1.
But how? Smile. Say hello. Give a compliment. Laugh at a joke. Give someone a hug or a high-five. You never know what result your action, however small, will make. Maybe you'll cheer someone up. Maybe you'll stop someone from cutting for a day or two. Maybe, you'll save a life.
That's your challenge. Make a difference. Help yourself. Help others. Help the world.
Praise God.
Are you in?
-Kimber.
