I Goofed....

I know that *we* are different.  I know that as a couple, we are looked at as strange and freakish because of choices we make to avoid many things others consider normal.

Tonight, I made a mistake. 

A HUGE mistake....

I really wanted to laugh tonight.  This has been a hard week for our nation.  This has been a hard week for us as individuals. 

I just wanted to unwind and share some joy. 

I quickly grabbed some movies at Redbox.  I didn't take the time to read reviews.  I didn't bother to listen to my gut.  It's only $1.20....so what does it matter if we have to turn it off? We turn off more than we watch. 

We popped in the movie and from the VERY first scene, the VERY first image....we knew there was no way it would be appropriate.

Yet, I attempted multiple times to just fast forward....thinking maybe it would get better. 

I KNEW better. 

No matter how many times we hit that forward arrow, the scene was greatly inappropriate or the "bomb" was being tossed around as if it was as common as "a, an, the". 

The movie was supposed to depict "normal" life . 

NO way was that normal life!

Yet, then I realized---it is NORMAL life.  This is what is normal in a great amount of households. In about a total of five minutes, I saw enough "reality" to explain so much of the problems in society.  This "normal" life is becoming more and more of a stark difference between what is normal and what kind of life Christ calls us to.  I don't mean religion. I mean relationship.  You can't live in both worlds.  You can't straddle the fence. 

The reality is that no matter which random spot in the movie I clicked it landed on a behavior that the world considers normal. 

The other sad reality is that many, many people....even many we love....will watch this movie or similar movies without batting an eye.  To be honest, they probably won't even be appalled by the language because they won't "hear" it.  (After shutting the movie off and doing what I should have done in the first place, I learned that the "bomb" was dropped over 100 times and about that many other "milder" words were used...even by the children).

Just recently, a 16 yr old girl we know mentioned that she had given up TV for Lent.  She said that when she finally went back to watching again, she was stunned at how many things her ears heard or images that her eyes actually REGISTERED.  The average person has become so accustomed to such things that immunity has been built up. 

Unfortunately,  it's causing damage.  It is destroying relationships.  It's destroying families.  "Immunity" is dangerous.  It's so easy for black to turn to gray and the lines to be blurred.  Actually, the lines aren't really blurred anymore.  We are witnessing such a degradation in society that we are finding that we willfully step over the line in defiance.....and yet then wonder why our homes, marriages, and society are falling apart. 

I'm disappointed in myself.  I never watch a movie without first verifying the content.  Maybe I was feeling a little defiant tonight.  Maybe I just wanted a break from "reality" and the heaviness of the week. 

I learned a lesson. 

NEVER let your guard down.  NEVER for a second forget that the enemy just needs a "small" window to enter.  NEVER think that vigilance in making appropriate media choices for your family AND yourself (no matter how old you are!) is "silly". 

I admit that I get frustrated at times that our not being "normal" limits our activities.  Sometimes, like tonight, we just want to laugh and enjoy entertainment.  I'll take those limitations.  Just a glimpse tonight of what many consider "normal" just drives me back even stronger to my values and convictions.  A big lesson I learned tonight, I don't want to be normal. 

I know many people don't share these same convictions.  They just see it as "harmless".  I've just proven more of how weird we are. 

That's ok. 

(The actual movie is irrelevant.  I could have easily chosen just about any other movie currently out and run into the same problem.)