"The Vow" Quote

I think it has rained for the last month. It is Spring Break, and it continues to rain. For our family, it has forced us to stay inside. Maybe not a bad thing. Family time. Movie time.

We have watched lots of movies recently, it seems. I think that is why I started thinking about movie quotes. Heather and I watched "The Song" a few nights back, and there were some great marriage quotes in there. A tough watch for us, but a good reminder of grace. Somehow it took me back to a moving experience that I had in a movie theater a few years back.

Not long after our marriage crisis in August 2011, Heather and I went to see "The Vow" in the movie theater. There is a scene where the main character, Paige, confronts her mother and demands to know why she didn't leave her father despite the fact that he had cheated on her. Here is Rita Thornton's inspiring quote:

"I chose to stay with him for all the things he's done right; not the one thing he's done wrong. I chose to forgive him."

I remember hearing those words in the movie theater like it was yesterday. The entire scene was so moving, and the words were a true reflection of what was going on in my heart. I lost it in the theater. I'm risking some of my manhood here, but I started sobbing uncontrollably. Those words..."I chose to forgive..."

It really is a choice that all of us have. Something we all face. Hurt and betrayal will come your way at some point in life. It may not be in the same form that I am referring to, but the choice will still be there. Will you choose to forgive?

Unfortunately, our culture is making a habit of walking away for "the one thing done wrong." Sometimes that "one thing" is massive, and I don't make light of it. But how much greater are all of those things done right. Regardless of the comparison, the choice remains. Will you choose to forgive?

I'm thankful God gave me the strength to stay, to forgive.
I'm thankful that I get to experience many more years of those "things done right."
I'm thankful that I'm about to join my 2 boys and my dog that have already piled into my bed with Heather tonight.
I'm thankful that it's Spring Break.
And I'm thankful that I'm forgiven too.

Rusty