God.... and Forrest Gump

“Have you found Jesus yet Gump?” said Lt. Dan. Forrest replied “I didn’t know I was supposed to be looking for him Sir”. it’s a very funny couple of lines from my favorite movie of all time. Yes, you read that right… Tom Hanks portrayal in Robert Zemeckas’s 1994 Hit movie is still light years out in front of all the other movies I’ve seen to date. I love Braveheart, Star Wars, Fight Club, When Harry met Sally, and those would round out my top 5 but by far, Forrest is still my fan favored pick.

If you know me? You would know it’s not a stretch as it’s a movie about a simple man, longing for the love of one woman… which is my life in a nutshell. It seriously is… its funny when I see God dealing with something in my life and as of late it’s the woman thing. It’s coming to a head soon and you will probably find me in the corner with a sticky note on my forehead that reads: If found return to… followed by my address… I love the way the Lord moves and is such a gentleman when he deals with us, but he is and I am glad… and so is the rest of the female population J .

Lately I’ve been hanging out in the book of Song of Songs in the bible and if you have ever read it, it will make you blush with some of the language, but as any strong married couple can attest, the emotions shared by the lover and beloved in this short book are right on and true and cannot be denied. It is a depiction of the Lover who we can correctly assume is the Lord and his Beloved whom we know is the Church and the love affair they share for one another and as anyone can assume it is a depiction of how he woos us and calls out to us to love him. The most manly among us will testify that when the lord calls us to him, we are eager to love him and worship him for who he is and to find him as the provider for our lives and the comforter of our souls. If you have ever found yourself in that desperate place of longing for Him for your very breath of life, you will know exactly what I mean. If not? You will find my words to be nonsense right now.

I sat down to watch Forrest Gump again last night and as usual, I tear up like a little girl all through the movie and I realized today why exactly I do such a thing. I noticed that the parts where Forrest is reunited with Jenny all through the movie, I found myself with tears streaming down my cheeks, and for most that would be foolishness, but I think its so much more than just the happy scenes or the scenes about love for me. I realized something amazing… Forrest is like God in this movie. Always disciplined, always doing the hard thing, because it is right. He is faithful to his word and continued to maintain a single love for ONE woman….. Jenny. His Jenny was so lost and sad and heartbroken and corrupt and dead to his affections and love. Jenny is a depiction of the world. Robin Wright plays the role masterfully in the movie and in the times she is running from everything that is true in her life (Forrest) she is lost and whores herself out for any attention from other men (other Gods) so she can feel complete. Forrest writes letters to her, and they come back unread. He confesses his love to her. He does his best to woo her in his simple charm that isn’t attractive to Jenny as she longs for so much more than he can answer or give to her. He remains steadfast and he is never bitter. In fact every time he is with her all throughout the movie he says the same line “Me an Jenny were together again just like Peas and Carrots… and IT… was the Happiest time of my life.” That part struck me very hard like a frying pan to the side of my head.

God desires us even when we are whoring ourselves out for attention from the world. He desires us and is never ever evil or angry when we reject him. He hates our sins and that is a known fact of many in the church but so many throw out the baby with the bathwater and assume God wants to punish us for walking away from him. That’s JUST not the case… in fact, like Forrest.. When we return to him every time, he woos us all over again and he wants to settle things and Marry us and keep us for his very own… and like all the times in the movie, we as the church love on him until we decide his love is just too much and we run away. Isn’t it JUST like the Father to allow us to get to a place where we are sick, or ill or hurt or wounded and we seek him out again, just like Jenny did with Forrest and he just didn’t become ugly or angry.. Once again he accepted her and welcomed her back and gave of himself to her over and above what she could have ever dreamed. He’s not flashy, he’s not a quick fix…. He is simple and his love for us is real and honest and its overwhelming and it simply wants to give itself away to us. I love the movie but my favorite part is when Jenny writes to him and they are reunited and married and she is sick in bed and she says “ I wish I had been with you all those times” and he replies “you were”. We are ALWAYS on his mind… he is ALWAYS thinking of how he can woo us and love us and keep us and show us HIS love. The love of our Father is so real and so alive and so amazing and completely and totally loyal. We are his ONLY object of affection…. He is a jealous lover and yet he won’t condemn us is we run away from him, but when we return… He is like Forrest.. He is totally lost in his love for us as his beloved bride.


As of late my God has wooed me back to a place of walking with him. Just like in the movie, the love of the world and the affections of women are tempting? But I am dancing in the living room to Sweet Home Alabama when the rest of you aren’t looking. My needs are being provided and I am literally the apple of his eye right now and I desire nothing more that can take the place of such peace. “It is the happiest time of my life” and me n God are like Peas and Carrots again…. And I am praying for each of YOU, every day to experience the same… I promise you there is nothing that can rival this… And that’s all I got to say about that….

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