Truth in a movie about lies.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen contained one of the most profound lines I've ever heard.

The movie The Invention of Lying came out a few years ago and starred Jennifer Garner, Ricky Gervais, and Rob Lowe. If you did see this movie, I hope you Red Boxed it. It was definitely not worth more than 99 cents. Now, I won't bore you with why this movie was so horrible (this isn't Daley'sMovieReviews.com), you'll just have to take my word for it.

The one redeeming factor of this movie is a line that comes from Anna McDoogles, the character played by Jennifer Garner. To give you a little backstory, the basic premise of the movie is that Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) lives in a world where no one lies. He figures out one day that he is the only one who knows how to lie so, of course, everyone believes everything he says. He uses this power-of-sorts to acquire money and trick women into dating him.

In one of the saddest scenes in the movie, Mark is sitting at his mother's bedside as she is moments away from dying. She's in a lot of pain and tells Mark that she is frightened to die because death will be an eternity of dark nothingness. Mark is obviously in anguish watching his mother suffer so he decides to comfort her by telling her a "lie" about what happens after death. With tears in his eyes, he tells her that she's going to a place where she'll see all the people she loves, where she'll be young again. He tells her that everyone will get a mansion and that there will be no more pain. Her face lights up and she calms down, and passes away.

Word gets out that Mark somehow knows what happens to people after they die, which makes him an instant part-celebrity-part-prophet and everyone begs him to tell them what he knows about the afterlife.

Anna (the woman Mark is dating) comes over to his house and asks him to tell her this remarkable news. As he tells her, her eyes fill up with tears and relief comes over her face. She pauses for a moment, looks at him very seriously and says, "You've gotta tell everyone."

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Now, while I’m fully aware that this movie is mocking faith in a higher power, this line still hit me pretty hard...because it’s so true.

If someone had information that would give people everywhere HOPE- shouldn’t they tell everyone?? Shouldn’t they be absolutely desperate to tell everyone the incredible good news?



The truth is- I have the most incredible news to tell but I don’t tell it.

I know that death isn’t just an eternity of nothingness, and that there is no reason to fear death- but I remain silent.

I know that God is real and that He loves us- but I hoard this news like a selfish child.

I live my life knowing that I'm never alone and I enjoy the peace and fulfillment that comes with knowing Christ- yet I keep it to myself and therefore keep others from having this hope too.

I blame my perpetual busyness. I blame my lack of knowledge. I don’t want to make people feel awkward. I don’t want to be rejected.

But today I’ve had enough. I’m done not telling people. I’m done being scared. [And yes, I realize I'm saying this from behind a blog...]

So here’s the good news. Here’s the hope that I have:

There is a God. He created everything. He’s more powerful and wonderful and loving than anything our little minds can comprehend. And even though He’s the creator of universe- for some crazy reason He loves me. He loves me even though I’m imperfect, fickle, and ungrateful most of the time. He’s known me since before I was born. He knew what I would look like, He knew my personality, my quirks, my flaws. He knew that I was imperfect, so He gave up his perfect son as a sacrifice so that my sins could be forgiven.

And through Jesus dying and being raised again, I have HOPE. I know I am forgiven. I know that God is with me no matter where I am, no matter how lost. I know that there’s more to this life than money, sex, and status. I know that I am loved in a way I cannot fathom.

These aren’t things I’m saying because someone told me to say them. I haven’t been brainwashed. I don’t believe in God because I need some way to explain the hard things in life.

I believe these things because I’ve experienced God’s love first-hand. I’ve screwed up in monumental ways and yet in my darkest moments, God never left me. He’s forgiven me over and over and over again. In the face of uncertainty, loss, loneliness- God was always there. I’ve turned to a lot of different things to find fulfillment and purpose and have only ever been left disappointed. But God fulfills completely. He takes me in His arms and tells me He loves me just as I am. He’s the joy of my life. He’s my protector.

This is what I know to be true, and the reason I have hope.

And this is the hope that you have, too.

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To my precious family- my Aunts and Uncles and cousins- forgive me if I haven’t told you these things in person. It’s weird how sometimes it’s harder to say these things to the people you love the most. The next time we see each other, if you want to- let’s talk.

To my friends- let’s help each other be bold in telling people this incredible news. It’s too awesome to keep to ourselves. And there’s no time to waste.