Tonight Colin was out and the boys went down relatively easily so I decided I deserved a treat. I decided to watch a movie but not just any movie, a 23 year old British classic. I watched Sense and Sensibility; the one with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. It was a magical evening.
If you have never seen it, shame on you! It is well worth the watch; even Colin enjoyed it. Well he told me he did but we were newly married at the time. The film is an adaptation of the novel with the same name by Jane Austen. It tells the tale of two sisters; Eleanor and Marianne Dashwood. Eleanor is the eldest and is ruled by duty, propriety and honour. Marianne is the opposite, she is ruled by her emotions and she wears her heart on her sleeve. When the sisters fall in love and get their hearts broken, they do so very differently and neither really understands the others perspective. It really is the most wonderful film with a truly satisfying ending.
It reminds me so much of our Christian walk. I must confess myself to be much more like Marianne than Eleanor. I am emotional and impulsive; I feel deeply and remember emotions for years and everything that I feel plays across my face or comes out in my body language. This is not always a good thing as emotions are fickle things and can often lead us astray. They cause us to react strongly and sometimes lead us down a wrong or dangerous path.
But it is not good to be too much like Eleanor either. She communicates nothing; she hides all her feelings and shows very little of her thoughts and emotions. This leads to the impression that she is cold, distant and does not feel much of anything at all.
By the end of the movie (which you should all try watch soon) the sisters have learnt from each other and Eleanor shows more emotions and Marianne is more restrained. This is how we should approach our Christian walk. We need the cool reason; we need to logic and think through our faith; we need to engage our minds and our intellect. However, we need to be like Marianne too – engage our emotions. We should feel strongly about our beliefs and our passion should be obvious and overflowing. Mind and emotion. Head and heart. Both work together for a better balance.
As the tagline for the film says – lose your heart and come to your senses.