This is the last Christmas post for a long time - I promise! I just really wanted to share one of my favorite Christmas movies with you guys. I actually watched it the day after Christmas because it kind of got lost in my DVR queue and it ended up being the perfect way to wrap up the holiday season.
Not everyone chooses to celebrate Christ on Christmas, and because of that many Christmas movies, songs, activities, etc. have themes and plots that are not blatantly Christian. This movie is one of them. The last time I watched it I was much younger and hadn't yet began to look for the deeper meaning in the movies I watched. But this year, I noticed something lingering in the undertones.
Three Days is a pretty classic, cheesy, Christmas film that involves traveling into the past to restore a broken relationship - but the depth of characters, the realistic relationships, and the overall message were enough for me to overlook the cliche. Now I don't want to give away too many details, because I'm hoping that you'll want to watch this wonderful Christmas movie! But what I will say is this:
One question that kept being asked throughout the movie by the main character was, "What gift can I give my wife to show her that I truly love her?" I think that is such an interesting and useful question for us to ask in our own lives (whether we have wives/husbands or not - we all have people in our lives that we love). When we are giving Christmas gifts or going about our business on any other July 15 or April 3 - what does it mean to really show people that we love them? What does it mean to love sacrificially? What kinds of sacrifices does that or could that include? How does that apply to my life right now?
The more I thought about the film, the more clearly I was able to see the Christ-filled Christmas message displayed through it, whether that was the intention of the filmmakers or not. This was the true meaning of the Christmas Story shown through the fictional lives and relationships of others! I love engaging in those types of stories so much because they allow me to view something that has become automatic, expected, and typical in a new light. And that light usually shines on new areas of my own life that I discover the need and desire to consider and assess.
After those original questions about love and self sacrifice are answered, bigger questions arise. How do the sacrifices I make compare to those that Jesus made for myself and for others? How does that make me feel? What does/should that mean for the way that I live out my life?
Three Days explores what it truly means to love and be loved, as well as how that is shown. The ending gave me a new way to view sacrificial love and to meditate about Christ's work on the cross. I honestly can't remember why I initially decided that I liked this movie so much, but after viewing it recently I'd say that my younger self made a pretty solid decision (even if it wasn't on purpose;) ).
Has anyone else seen this movie before?
What are your favorite Christmas movies? (My other favorites are Christmas Vacation, Elf, The Grinch, and almost anything done in clay-mation - especially Rudolph and Nestor the Long Eared Donkey.)
Have you had a similar spiritual experience with a movie that made no blatant mention of Christ?
-Courtney
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