Hallmark Syndrome

I hardly watch TV all year. Yet as soon as December comes around, my wife and I watch successive Hallmark movies late into the evening. To be clear, the movies are terrible. They follow one of three plot lines, have hardly any character development, and recycle through the same seven actors and actresses.

As I awoke on the couch to find that it was way past our bedtime, I realized we must have fallen asleep toward the end of movie number one and that we were about halfway through movie number two. Despite being half awake and not seeing the first hour of the movie, I deduced the plot line and predicted the ending within minutes.

“Why do we do this to ourselves?” my groggy wife asked as we hauled ourselves to bed. As I tried to fall asleep, I was again reminded of the readings this cycle for Advent: to stay awake, to be alert, to be vigilant and ready. Then it hit me: I like Hallmark movies because I like to know the ending.

In life, leadership, and discipleship, where else do I want to know the ending before I am willing to do the work? How many times do I ask others for guarantees on the outcome before I am willing to invest? In my conversations with the Lord, how often is my response to His call with a condition to be prepared: “Sure Lord, if you could just tell me exactly when, how, and why, I’ll be ready.” Do I believe the Lord is inviting me into the freedom not to have to know what happens next because I trust and hope in the eternal chapter that He promises to those who make straight the path for Him?

The best movies are the ones that draw you in, take you where you didn’t know you were going, and deliver an ending you could never imagine. As we move deeper into this season of waiting, let’s ensure we’re ready, not because we know our ending, but because we have faith in His providence.