TRUE GRIT
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth…but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
~Proverbs 28:1
This verse sets the stage.
What motivates vengeance? Love or hate?
A young girl, Maddie Ross, held captive by her own desire to see a wrong set right. Willing to do anything, deterred by nothing. Will she attain the peace she seeks by pursuing her desire for revenge?
It is unclear what relationship Maddie had with her father. Undoubtedly he was beloved to her. Instead of turning home to her grieving mother and young siblings, she saddled up to do the job of God…bold as a lion.
Old US Marshall Cogburn is in between assignments when Maddie seeks him out. Hardened by a life void of love and a career of pursuing despots, Cogburn is bonded to nothing but his dependence on alcohol. He is however, unable to resist Maddie’s determination, and allows her to accompany him in his pursuit of her man, Tom Chaney.
Surprise, surprise, the bad guy gets shot. Ensue the happy ending after the resolution of conflict, right?
What is the meaning of her solitary life thereafter? She wasn’t able to see Cogburn before he died. She never married. She lost her arm. There is a reason God does not leave judgment up to us.
“It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”
~Deuteronomy 32:35
Her life, her body, her heart had been scarred. All this loss, but not for nothing.
Tom Chaney had been stopped in his tracks. What else might he have done had she not seized her opportunity to fire the gun and end his destructive career?
Evil will have its consequences here on earth,
and leaning on the Everlasting Arms will present the strength to do what is right.
All that is necessary for evil to prosper is that good men do nothing.
Intriguing question: the simple answer is that it's right to fight for those who cannot protect themselves and wrong to look for payback. In this case it all comes down to Maddie's motivation. Was it hate that drove her or was it fear that Chaney would strike again?
ReplyDeletePerhaps she would have been wiser to simply write him a letter offering forgiveness. Few things a person can do are more powerful than that.
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. - Colossians 3:13