How one scene from SOUL ON FIRE rekindled memories and reminded me that beauty never really fades.
Often the most beautiful parts of our lives are the very ones we tuck away.
We hide them in closets, leave them in boxes, store them in corners, push them back into the shadows. We forget about them, all they meant, and the beauty they still possess until something draws those pieces of our lives back into the light.
I saw this on full display during the final day of filming SOUL ON FIRE.
We were filming the wedding scene at the Shrine of St. Joseph- the same church where Beth and I married two decades earlier. There were cameras, lights, hundreds of crew members working throughout the church and actors across the altar and in the front pews.
The pews behind them, though, were packed with real family and friends. Mom and Dad sat in the second row on the groom’s side. Beth’s mom and family were just across the aisle. And behind them? Dozens of friends and family who had been there to celebrate our wedding decades earlier.
It felt less like filming a scene for a film and more like reliving a sacred moment.
Then our director yelled, “Action!” With that, the cameras rolled, the back doors swung open and down the aisle walked Masey McClain. Portraying Beth, she was radiant, poised, joyful, beautiful. But what moved me most in that moment wasn’t the resemblance to Beth or the fact that so many in the room had stood in that very spot years earlier.
It was the dress.
Masey wore the EXACT gown Beth had worn on our wedding day.
For two decades it had been boxed up, tucked away, hidden in the dark. Out of sight, out of mind. And then, on this day, for this scene, for this moment, it was removed from some container, worn by Masey, and brought back into the light- shining, radiant, stunning.
My friends, sometimes the gifts of our past, the memories of what was, the parts of our story we think are over aren’t meant to stay locked away. Sometimes they’re meant to be celebrated again, reminding us both of who we are and how far we’ve come.
Seeing that dress, for me, was a reminder to celebrate a moment still worth cherishing and evidence that even after years in the dark, beauty can still shine.
So, what about you? What gifts in your life have been boxed up too long? What relationships or dreams have been tucked away in your closet? What might you bring back into the light, not just as a memory of what was, but as a reminder of all that still can be?
I can’t wait for you to see Beth’s dress shine again on the big screen in SOUL ON FIRE. But more than that, I can’t wait for you to remember that your gifts still hold value and your treasures can shine again.
Maybe it’s time to bring them into the light.
Today is your day. Live Inspired.
8 replies on “Out of the Shadows”
We loved your story! We are going to show it to our grandchildren. Thank you for sharing ❤️
John, This beautiful article gave me the inspiration to get out all of the homemade cards my daughters have made for me and turn them into something beautiful- a collage! Thank you!!!
We were blessed too by invited to the preview show with some of the nurses who took care of you this past Saturday at the Esquire. It was everything and more to what you have shared and the scenes you mentioned. It is truly award worthy and hope many across the world get to see this wonderful story reenacted on the international screens across the world!
John,
What a beautiful memory!
We often unintentionally bury memories to hide from the pain. They resurface so we can heal from the past.
Learning to always trust in our God and to trust and love ourselves is a daily gift we can choose to let out of the box and live.. He is in total control and only wants what is best for His children.
Thank you for this wonderful reminder to unbox and celebrate our precious memories from days gone by. This was especially meaningful to me as I recently lost my 29 year old son in a motorcycle accident in May. I was going through his things… his photos… and was reminded how seldom I brought out those treasured grade school projects that I carefully boxed up and stored in a closet. Did he know that I saved them? Did he know how proud I was of his accomplishments as he grew up and became a man? Yes, we do need to get them out, bring them into the light, and celebrate those memories! [https://www.penwellgabelkc.com/obituaries/joshua-haines]
I look forward to your movie… just saw the poster in our local theatre this week!
Hi John, this beautiful devotional rings so true to me! As I sat listening to you speak at Bethany Children’s Health Center, God brought to mind the gift of painting, teaching and drawing that had been used many years ago as I painted an 8’ x 8’ painting of Noah’s Ark at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas. It still hangs on the third floor there!
God gave me, a young elementary art teacher and muralist, at the time, the most precious opportunity to paint on site next to the Child-Life Department for inpatients at the hospital so many years ago. I have joked that it took me forty days and forty nights to finish! As I was listening to you, I felt led to share with Marla Hill my love for working and painting with special needs children to give them a touch of joy and delight in their lives. She didn’t know my background in art.
You see three years ago out of the blue my husband asked my family very unexpectedly to move from our home in Rockwall, TX to his hometown of Elk City, OK. My longtime home of Rockwall and the Dallas Area, where I was an artist, art teacher and for a time a stay at home mom, would be changing and I had no idea how or if ever I would be able to use the gift again. On top of that, in moving, God called me into full-time ministry and opened the avenue to work for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which at the time I believed would not use a bit of art. How I was wrong! With the flexible schedule and need for writing Bible studies to teach, God is now providing an opportunity for me to publish my first book with more in the works. All of them use the gift of art and writing that I had thought may never be used again. My hope is that working for FCA may combine the students that so eagerly lead and serve to possibly serve and lead children at Bethany Children’s Health Center in an art project someday.
My hope is to also show the Church what God can do with ALL the gifts He has given us. Not one of those gifts was created by mistake, even the ones that must sit on the back shelf hidden away for a time!
Just excellent, as always. We can’t wait to see the movie! So excited for You, my friend.
This is lovely! Now I’ll spend some time thinking today about what I’ve “tucked away” and needs to be brought to the front again!