In the movie “As Good As It Gets” Jack Nicholson plays a socially inept older man who falls in love with a young waitress. He is no good at expressing his love and knows that unless he does so he will lose the girl. Finally, he tells her, “You make me want to be a better man.” It’s an “aw shucks” moment and the girl realizes that her love is really returned.
What a wonderful description of our response to love especially the love of our God. If we truly understand what our salvation means and the price that was paid for us we can only respond that we want to be better men. It’s a humble recognition that we don’t deserve the love we have received. Of course, the grace of God is better than romantic love. His grace not only plants in us a desire to be a “better man” but empowers us to be a “better man.” What makes this love so powerful is that it is not dependent on us being better. He loved us when we were yet sinners. He loved us when we were unlovable. He loves us enough to want us to be all that we can be.
The subplot of the movie is that in the real world love isn’t always, or may isn’t ever, between two perfect people who love each other perfectly. But a love that makes us want to be more than we are is “As Good as It Gets” and that’s plenty.
It is so sad that the world has twisted the Gospel and believes that we who have responded to God’s love, think we are better or perfect and that we consider those who haven’t responded to His love as lesser beings. We fail to convey the nature and wonder of the blessings of following Jesus and the process that is involved.
We must do a better job because our story is all we have. It needs to be real. It needs to be a reality love story, for that’s exactly what it is.
On this earth, that’s as Good as It Gets and that’s pretty awesome.
Be blessed.
Nick
On
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