When Lose-Lose Feels Like Win-Win

I admit it: I spend more time than I should watching TV and movies.  To make matters worse, much of what I watch has little or no lasting value.  But every now and then, I come across something that is just extraordinary!  I stumbled upon one of those little prizes earlier this week, when I watched the movie "Win Win," starring Paul Giamatti. (Watch the trailer here.)

What inspired me to even put it on my Blockbuster queue, I couldn't tell you, because the movie doesn't sound like much.  "A struggling lawyer and volunteer wrestling coach's chicanery comes back to haunt him when the teenage grandson of the client he's double-crossed comes into his life." (IMDb)

Often, this sort of dramatic offering is so dull and boring that I can't bear to watch to the end.  But this movie is just so REAL.  What makes it real, you ask?  Well, none of the main characters are "beautiful people" who look unbelievably perfect.  The main character, Mike, is a lawyer, yet he's struggling financially.  The sport we're following is high school wrestling of all things - nothing glamorous there!  The "chicanery" Mike attempts is small change for a movie plot - involving a mere $1,500 a month.  Everything in this movie is just so ordinary, I feel like this guy and his family could be my neighbor or someone who goes to my church.  

But that's where the ordinary ends.  What is extraordinary is how our hero Mike reacts when the circumstances turn against him.  Like anyone might, he starts out trying to hide his financial troubles and the deception he pulls to gain his family a little extra income.  When Kyle, a teenage boy and former wrestler, shows up, Mike's first thoughts are about finally coaching a winning team.  

But ultimately, Mike has to choose between his ill-gotten money and keeping Kyle as part of his family.  There is no magical last minute lottery ticket or unexpected twist of the plot to save him - he MUST make the hard choice.  And he does, happily!

I suppose what this movie really shows is the power of repentance and redemption and  reconciliation and relationship to bring joy to life.  These things have more power than money to make life worth living, even after making a terrible mistake.  And while this movie is not explicitly Christian, it certainly does a great job of conveying these themes that lie at the heart of the Christian message.  Jesus Christ came to save sinners and reconcile them with God.  With reconciliation comes renewed relationship, and with strong, wholesome relationship comes joy!

The world would judge that Mike wound up in a lose-lose scenario: he lost the extra income he tried to get, and his wrestling team didn't get to go to the state championships.  But in the more important realm of relationships, he gained a relationship with Kyle and restored the relationship with his wife.  And that makes him a winner all the way around!

Are there relationships in your life in need of reconciliation?  Perhaps it is even God with whom you need to reconcile?  Fear not, for Jesus has made reconciliation possible.  Don't be afraid to choose relationships over worldly success, for they are a source of great joy!