The Blind

A review

 

Does your family have a favourite TV show or movie that you like to watch together? In the past, for us, it was  Duck Dynasty, that famous reality show from 2012 about the family who built a multi-million-dollar empire by equipping hunters for duck season. It was a highly-anticipated show when it first came out, so of course we had to give it a watch, and we didn’t expect to laugh so much! We loved it, and my kids and husband and I bonded over those shared laughs! Just this past September, a movie came out about the life story of the cast, called The Blind, so of course we had to see it too! I have heard from some of my kids they plan to start the series all over again!

Though the franchise is meant to be funny and lighthearted, the movie offered some profound and genuine insights about the life we’re called to live as Christians. In my opinion, one of the greatest gifts of The Blind is the willingness of the Robertson family to honestly and openly share their pain, their heartaches and their poor choices, and how in the end, God turned it all around for them. As the title insinuates, aren’t we all blind to the truth at some point in our lives? 

We can become so intent on living our way, and it often comes at the expense of hurting others. Often, we don’t realize how much we need God until suddenly we’re headed for a cliff that we never saw coming. By God’s grace, the main character Phil Roberts recognizes the blind spots in his life and how they affected his family just in time, and when he does, it’s a truly redemptive moment. It took him many years to come to the end of himself, and that’s where he finally met God. He walked a fine line for almost a decade, and it nearly ripped his family apart as the darkness in his soul spilled out and permeated everything he touched. During his worst and loneliest hour, as he’s wrestling with his demons he looks into the water and does not like the reflection he sees. The dark parts of the water reflected a fear that had coiled itself inside his heart, mind and soul and change was imminent, but not without help and a lot of work first. 

 Shortly after, Phil connects with a pastor whom his wife had spoken with many years before, and had a conversation that changed her world forever. He asks the pastor (and I’m paraphrasing, here), why everything he touches turns to hell. The pastor comes back with a succinct but earth-shattering answer: “Maybe you need to stop touching things.” Finally, Phil begins to wake up to the negative impact he has made. The pastor then goes on to tenderly, truthfully, and intentionally share how we often mix up the gospel’s message, thinking we have to climb the mountain to God on our strength alone. In reality, God meets us where we are, and carries our shame for us. He died for our sins, and we must receive and believe this incredible gift of salvation in order to truly find peace in it. 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

 Phil and his wife were separated for many years, and her strength during that time is undeniable. Upon their separation, the church blessed her with a home and through the loving prayers and support of her sister and her congregation,  she made a life there for herself and her three boys without him. Yet the entire time, she did not stop praying for her husband. During that time, he was spiraling deeper into a pit of darkness, but after meeting the pastor that day, he finally saw his great need for Jesus’s love. Finally at the end of his rope, he knew he couldn’t live anymore on his own. He had reached the end of himself, and only there did he find God, who led him back into the loving folds of his family.

Families are collections of imperfect sinners who come together and love each other in imperfect ways. Every family is its own version of complex, but what matters is that we come together with love (Colossians 3:14).  There is no such thing as a perfect family because there is no such thing as a perfect human being, yet this family decided to share their unpolished edges with the world, to bring all glory to God! Despite how hard it must be to see your life and your mistakes laid bare on camera for the whole world to see, they knew that hiding all of that would be a waste of an opportunity to show the world how God had His hand on their lives all along. Everyone can benefit from their story, and the gospel’s good news is front and center throughout. 

Darkness is dark, and light is light, and the overarching theme of this movie is how dark our souls can be, and how desperate we need the light found in the forgiveness that Jesus offers. We are not meant to do life alone. The willingness of the Duck Dynasty family to be open about how God met them in their darkest hour and turned them toward Him is a reminder to everyone that this forgiveness is always available to us, if we are humble and willing to ask for it. Phil Robertson’s quest to conquer the shame of his past led him straight to God, and ultimately changed his entire family for generations to come. Change only comes through the power of the life and death of Jesus Christ and what he sacrificially did on the cross. He died for our sins, all of them yesterday, today and tomorrow! 

“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) 

The Blind  is a beautiful story of how God takes the broken in all of us and restores us. Phil and Miss Kay opened up the vault of their life for everyone to see, which takes courage, strength and tenacity. At times the movie is hard to watch, because you can see the depth of despair that’s caused by Phil’s poor choices and the ripple effect that they have on his family and friends; however, at the end of the day, it’s those very choices that lead him to God, and after that he is never the same again. What is even more apparent is that he could never have done any of that on his own strength. Jesus moved in and changed his heart, and since that moment he has been a witness to the profound love of Jesus everywhere he goes. Moving, compelling and profoundly impactful, The Blind is already working in my family! 

Have you seen it? If you have, I would love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment below or get in touch with me via email and let me know what your thoughts are about this surprisingly deep and complex family story. 

 

I recently attended the film with a group and here is what others are saying:

“The Blind was an incredible movie showing all the fruits of the spirit. Although, It took Phil a while to understand the importance of those fruits; kindness, faithfulness, love, gentleness, self-control, joy, peace, etc., but his life became well once he demonstrated those values!”

“The blind movie taught me that hope is a powerful thing. Miss Kay taught the power of forgiveness. It is important to surround ourselves with people who can see the light in us even when we cannot see it in ourselves. The Blind was a raw redemption story. Showing it’s never too late to show grace.”

A moving quote from Jase Roberson –”I learnt it based from what I saw.” Jase and Phil’s other sons got to witness the power of God’s strength firsthand.

“A movie that shows the real strength of forgiveness and how impactful it can be”

“The blind has a very good perspective on the Christian reality, and I highly recommend it!”

 

 

https://www.iamsecond.com

https://www.iamsecond.com/film/dysfunction-to-dynasty/

https://www.iamsecond.com/film/dysfunction-to-dynasty/#modal-media-vimeo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6o-YSD7zBs