I was watching "Gone with the Wind" this weekend (yes, I've seen it a few times) but I was stunned at what hit me about it this time. It's the ending where Scarlett says to Ashley, "Oh you really loved her. Why didn't you tell me you loved her?" Or something to that effect.

I think as Christians we can be like that a little. Shoved upside the head by reality because we've chosen to believe someone is better than they are. I think that's a good thing, seeing the best in someone, except when reality keeps kicking us and we don't understand why.

Sometimes, people want to be seen as "good" and in doing so, they're not living authentically. A little secular advice would have been good for Scarlett (and myself at times) -- "When people tell you who they are, believe them the first time." Maya Angelou.

As a church, I think this would be some healthy advice. Too often we want to "forgive" and let yeast back into our fold without reality take effect. No one is above sin, but come on, can we at least make sure there's some repentance? Ashley didn't seem to mind Scarlett's attention. Mr. Nice Guy wasn't so nice, was he?

Rhett saw it like it was, and at least he lived authentically. Not nicely. But authentically. Whereas Scarlett chose to stay in her pretty, created world.

Scarlett: Ashley, you should have told me years ago that you loved her and not me, and not left me dangling with your talk of honor. But you had to wait till now, now when Melly's dying. To show me that I could never be any more to you than, than this Watling woman is to Rhett ... And I've loved something that doesn't really exist. Somehow, I don't care. Somehow, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter one bit.

Labels: Ashley Wilkes, Scarlett O'Hara