Yesterday I had the chance to see the movie Get Low and I was really moved. Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek are all brilliant but Duvall really shines.

Without giving too much away, the story centers around a man who has isolated himself for forty years while hiding a deep secret. He plans a funeral party for himself in order to finally let the truth be known.

I was powerfully reminded that the best stories, the ones we most resonate with are not always the most far-fetched but those that make us examine ourselves in a new light. Those stories that are close enough to real-life but more vivid are those we often most clearly identify with.

We are all shaped by our stories, we all want to be known and we all long to be forgiven. We just don’t all admit it.

When we try to bury things, the root of bitterness begins to settle in(Hebrews 12:15). This is at least one of the levels of meaning behind Jesus saying that the Truth sets us free (John 8:32). Not only is Jesus the Truth, when we hide the truth behind lies or even silence, we are enslaved. At one point in the movie, Duvall’s character says that he built himself a prison and locked himself away with his secret for so long so that he would have to live every minute with it. Even though he lived on 300 acres, he was enslaved. He was longing to be set free by the truth. But he was also longing for forgiveness and forgiveness requires truth.

I was powerfully reminded about how important gospel-centered community. Though we are saved as individuals, we are saved into community. But comply being together is not enough. We must be part of community that fosters transparency and mutual burden-bearing (Galatians 6:1-2). Though this seems so self-evident, it is rare. Duvall’s character epitomized the negative impact of isolation.

Watch the trailer for Get Low: