Confession: Pretty in Pink

I had a random chat with a friend at work last week about "guilty pleasures." Don't get creeped out; we were simply talking about TV shows that we just can't help but tune into when they come on. I must say, though, that even beyond shows that I can't pass up, there is another "guilty pleasure" that I am bravely disclosing to you today. Take a relaxed Saturday afternoon, no work and no school--just you and the laundry, or whatever it may be that you are catching up on around the house. On such a day, I cannot pass up the "classic" 80s movie. Yes, that is my confession--I am drawn to teeny bopper 80s movies. This by far supercedes current TV shows I watch (mind you, I only watch a handful). Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved 80s movies, particularly those starring THE 80s sweetheart, Molly Ringwald. Hated "The Breakfast Club", but loved "Pretty in Pink" and "Sixteen Candles," although most of my friends hadn't even heard of such flicks until I introduced them. (Such introductions I am not necessarily proud of--"Hey Mom, J- invited me over to watch 'Dirty Dancing,' can I go?" I never could understand why their parents said No! Yeah, I don't pride myself in such things.)

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Keep in mind that I was still in diapers when these movies came out, but I have still been drawn to them about as far back as I remember. What dramatic little dreamer wouldn't love a good 80s flick full of drama? And if you've never watched such a movie, trust me--DRAMA. As fun as it is for me to sit on my couch on a Saturday such as this, I can't help but think of something while I'm watching Molly Ringwald weep over the rich kid she's both in love with and devastated by, ripping up a friends' prom dress to make her own polka-dotted...thing (odd dress, watch the movie). Do you know what it is I am thinking of while watching such a movie, one that I've loved for years? The real thing is so much better! I look at my own love story and those of my dear friends, and can't help but see the cheapness of the Lifetime Channel love stories (yes, I have cable). When I am putting my head down to rest at night, or writing in my journal, there is so much more to that love which is a GIFT from the Lord than a silly 80s flick could ever capture. It's not drama I am consumed with, but real and true love. And it doesn't consume me in a way that would move me to make a pink thing called a dress to try and prove myself to some guy at the senior prom. (Hopefully you get my point with that last statement.) Praise the Lord for His grace because I can look back and see some pretty ridiculous stunts I either did do or could've done when I was in high school (no, I am not going to disclose some of those stunts on this kind of platform. If you know me, you know the silliness). But, no, He is good and He is faithful to those who wait patiently for Him. My love story is not defined by "feelings" and butterflies and trying to prove myself to someone in order to win their affections. No, the one the Lord has authored for my life is defined by patience, bearing one another's burdens, speaking truth to one another even when it stings, looking into the eyes of one the Lord is obviously ordained as an instrument in my life. How much better that is than the weepy, Molly Ringwald-starring sob stories...