Several weeks ago I took my bride to a show at a cultural arts center in Tempe, AZ. The show was The Bridges of Madison County. My bride is an old soul. She loves movies such as Driving Miss Daisy and Steel Magnolias and I thought this was one of the movies she liked. She asked me, “do you know what The Bridges of Madison County is about?” I said, “no, I didn’t.” She proceeded to give me the run-down of what takes place in this movie and what we’ll be watching when we go on our date. Needless to say, The Bridges of Madison County has a very different moral tenor than the previously mentioned movies.

This post isn’t a summary of the show/movie. It’s not a critique of the acting or singing. It is however a collection of thoughts I gleaned with regards to the ever so subtle actions by an individual(s) that many times lead to an adulterous relationship. Here’s some observations I made as I watched the show:

• The night before the adulterous relationship takes place Robert Kincaid (photographer for the National Geographic who’s been assigned to take pictures of the bridges in Madison County) says to himself “it wouldn’t happen.” He seems to know where his heart is and tries to convince himself that there’s no way he’ll go there with Francesca Johnson.
• The power of touch. He touchers her, she touches him and in those moments you get a glimpse of the power of touch. Why would you ever physically interact with someone who isn’t your spouse in a way that could ever be perceived as inappropriate or allow someone else to do the same with your spouse?
• They share a meal together. They have a drink together. A meal is an intimate exchange. It’s not one you need to be having with someone of the opposite sex.
• Someone is out of town. Your spouse’s physical presence is a grace. Be mindful of the increased temptation Satan brings into your life when your husband/wife is out of town.
• There are several times where logic and common sense had seemingly kicked in but it’s ultimately refused. In those moments where you’re lucid, you need to understand that clarity of thought is a grace of God prompting you to think accurately about sin and the consequences it brings.
• Robert Kincaid says several times, “There’s nothing else in the world today but who we are and who we want to be” and “I love you more than my own life.” That, my friends, is the essence of sin. I want what I want more than anything or anyone else. If that isn’t a sobering picture and deceptive nature of sin I’m not sure what is.

Things to remember concerning sin:

• Sin hurts people and sometimes in irrevocable ways.
• Sin promises much but delivers very little, such as gaining the whole world yet forfeiting your soul.
• Sin is deceptive and powerful, which is why the Scriptures tell us to run from sin and kill sin.
• The deceptive nature of sin would have you believe you’re immune from such an act and if that’s you, you’re already halfway there to this story becoming your own.

Things to remember concerning Jesus:

• Repenting of sin and believing in the good news of Jesus gives us a new identity; we’re no longer defined by our sin.
• The good news of Jesus tells us that Jesus has authority over our lives, not sin. The power of sin has been broken in Jesus.
• There is forgiveness for anyone and everyone who’s acted the part of Robert Kincaid or Francesca Johnson and the truth is we’re all in the same camp.