"Grace Unplugged"

I saw this movie tonight and cried most of the way through it. This movie touched the deepest chords of my heart. The story line is of a girl named Grace who was raised by a former pop artist with a big hit as a young man. He rejected pop culture and turned pastor of music as Jesus invaded his life and changed his motives. He had a daughter who was raised singing with him as praise leaders at their local church.

As she reached 18 she began to want to sing and use music to fit her dream. However, dad "knew what was best for her" and so instead of nurturing her dream and how God might be playing Him self out in her life he put her in a box and focused on conforming her to his image. This well intended but destructive behavior of dad drove her away and put her in danger. His actions did not support her, but rather protected him. I see this everywhere around me, especially in legalistic, moralistic graceless Christian dads.

While Grace was "unplugged" to grace, she was plugged into rebellion to pursue her dream and thus subject to a world who wished to exploit her for their own benefit. She was drifting and subject to deceptive influences. Being unplugged to grace Grace lacked the transforming power of grace not provided her by her dad  . When dad finally "plugged" into Grace's life by trusting God for Grace's protection and development, Grace was transformed into God's desire for her. Ironically, God put a Christian young man into Grace's life to guide and protect her. Dad had no way of knowing how God was going to work in Grace's life, he just needed to let go of his own control and believe God loved Grace more than he did and would provide what she needed.

This contrast between a dad's destructive need to conform his daughter into his image and unleashing God's grace into her life tears at my soul. I see way too many young women set back for years by dad's controlling influences that work against God's design on his daughter. My heart weeps as I see young women struggling to break away and having to seek rebellion, and loneliness which leaves them empty of a father's love and distracts them from the power of The Father's love.

My heart is still shaking from grace I see "unplugged" in daughters ....