My Hallmark Movie (Or Not)

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV)

For about a year,  I was well into using the phrase “my life feels like a Hallmark movie.” I was always a fan of feel-good movies and it was a dream to wake up like that every day. All Hallmark movies follow a similar plot line: the two leads are working towards a common goal in their community. They get to know each other by working together and it develops into a happy love story. 

At the time, I had everything I could possibly want; it was a very visible season of abundance. Even with the pandemic pandemonium. I had a core friend group and more. I was with someone who seemed like the ideal boyfriend. I was exercising every other day. I was serving at church and leading a small group. And as stressful as it was,  I loved my teaching job. I was busy, but I was excited for all that the Lord gave me.

The best part of this story? Last April, I unexpectedly ended up on the set of a Hallmark movie. I laughed in disbelief, taking pictures on a transformed storefront, feeling as if a fictional storyline had merged with my reality. It couldn’t get much better than that, I thought.

It was only a matter of weeks. Something shifted. Challenges arose that I could have never predicted. Nobody saw it coming. The almost-engagement ended in a blindsided breakup. 

Every Hallmark movie culminates with a new conflict 20 minutes before the end, but all conflict is resolved within the last 5.  I hoped for my story to end like a script. I prayed and prayed for this to be a temporary mistake, where he would come back and all would be made right. Right? Wrong. I never got that…at least not in the way that I wanted. 

It took me so long to understand why God would allow good things to fail without a known reason. But what if God, in his compassion, was doing something bigger? Maybe the blessing I idealized wasn’t actually what I wanted. Maybe it wasn’t so much about a blessing being taken away. It was so much more about God protecting me from even bigger hurts I didn’t see happening. 

I believed him when he said he wanted to marry me and start a family together. I trusted him when he said he loved me and my family. I didn’t see the narcissism. I didn’t see the betrayal that was happening behind my back. And now, I’m grateful that God helped me dodge a bullet. Had any of this persisted, I would’ve been knocked out. But I’m still standing strong.

In Philippians 4:11-13, Paul says he is content in seasons of abundance and of loss because Christ strengthens him. Paul, who once had everything, wrote this letter from a prison cell to the church of Phillipi. He knew what it meant to have more than enough and he also knew how to navigate seasons of loss. He knew how to be humble because he learned it through his experiences. And in any circumstance, he learned how to be content.

Paul learned how to be content. Unlike emotions, which are instinctual, he had to learn how to be satisfied with what he had through experience. His contentment wasn’t based on happiness or having the right things. Paul chose to be content because, regardless of what life looked like, he knew there was more.

Paul tells us his secret: he knew Jesus. He chose to be content, no matter what life looked like, because Jesus was enough. Verse 13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” is often taken out of context. Yes, Jesus can empower us to do all things. But here, Paul is specifically saying he can be content in times of lack and in times of abundance because Christ strengthens him. 

Maybe my view of contentment weighed too heavily on other things and not on Jesus. And maybe Hallmark got it wrong, too. The best love story isn’t a romantic relationship; it’s the sacrificial love of Jesus. Flawed people will always fail us and let us down. Jesus, the perfect man, will never disappoint.

I can still be content in the season of loss and hardship because Christ is my strength. I may never have the conflict resolution I envisioned or the happy ending I imagined. But I know that Christ is with me and the plot he’s writing for me is greater than my dreams. With him, nothing is left undone. With Jesus, all things will be made new (Revelation 21:5). 

True contentment isn’t found in the right circumstances. When we place our happiness and affection in places other than God, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment. But God is faithful and he will never let us down. The love story God has for you and me is better than any fictional script or storyline; it’s truth found in Scripture.

Friend, let’s choose to be content today. No matter what we face, let’s look to Jesus as our strength.