Finding Collateral Beauty: A Journey Through Grief and Redemption

The Power of Film and Spiritual Reflection: Finding Collateral Beauty

Ecclesiastes 3:11-12

"HE makes everything beautiful in its time. He has also placed eternity in the human heart; yet none can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know there is nothing better than for people to be happy and do good while they live."

Recently, I watched the movie Collateral Beauty. This film dives deep into grief, loss, pain, and perception. It spoke profoundly to my spirit. As I pressed in and pondered this film, I couldn't help but notice how beautifully it reflected the nature of God. That's one of the things I truly love about film. A well-crafted movie has the power to move you, to make you think, to reflect. It can even expand your mind and shift your perception entirely.

The Journey of Howard

The movie follows Howard, a man of legacy. He built a successful business, had a loving wife, and a daughter. But when tragedy strikes—his daughter’s death and the loss of his wife—he spirals into a catatonic depression. This loss leaves him unable to function, putting the very business he built at risk.

In the throes of grief, Howard desperately seeks answers. He writes three letters to time, love, and death. Concerned for him, Howard's business partners concoct a plan. In an abstract and conspiratorial twist, time, love, and death respond to his letters in tangible ways. These encounters force Howard to confront his pain. Through this journey, he begins to understand how these eternal constants weave through our lives. Even in moments of deep, inexplicable loss, beauty and wisdom can be found.

I see a demonstration of Romans 8:28 woven throughout this beautiful film. God will take what was meant for evil and turn it around for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Howard's business partners devised a plan to remove him from his position through deception and humiliation. But perhaps unintentionally, what resulted was Howard's healing. He found wisdom, clarity, and opened his eyes to the beauty of his life that still existed, despite his profound loss.

The Mystery of God's Timing

This brief synopsis echoes another story found in the book of Job. I’ll speak about that a little later, but for now, let’s focus on the verse I included at the beginning. Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 is one of my anchor scriptures for life. I have that particular verse on my bathroom mirror, strategically placed to remind me of the mystery and unending goodness of God.

I emphasize the word mystery here because there is a peace that comes when, on the believer's walk, you understand that some things of God will always remain a mystery. One of these mysteries is God's timing. The very first line in that verse speaks of God making everything beautiful in its time. “In its time”—what a concept! It doesn’t say in our time; it says in its time.

With God being the redeemer of time, the truth is, no time is ever actually lost, no matter how it appears to our very human eyes. We wonderfully complex creatures tend to place too much emphasis on timelines. This can lead us to miss the point entirely. We get so caught up in doing things according to socially acceptable timeframes that we overlook the beauty and meaning in the journey itself.

The next sentence in that verse states, “He has also placed eternity in the human heart; yet none can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” He, meaning God at creation, has placed eternity in our hearts. This suggests that we were created to dwell eternally with God. In the larger spectrum of our lives as born-again believers, we should focus on that very eternity. Yet, the next line, punctuated quite deliberately by a semicolon, says, “Yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

This suggests that our understanding of the eternal things of God—and thus our understanding of time and its eternity—remains very limited, bound by our fleshly nature. But the good news is that this semicolon was overcome through Christ's sacrifice at the cross. That’s the truth, and that truth is what brings the meaning we all so desperately search for. Without God, eternity slips through our fingers...

The Story of Job: A Testament of Faith

I promised to speak about Job. What a beautiful story he has! It’s punctuated by the grasp he had on God, rooted in his painful but conscious surrender to his Creator. Job understood his eternity beyond his circumstances. When all was lost, he held true to his love and faith in God. The eternity that God had placed in his heart became his anchor. God redeemed him and restored all he had lost, including his time.

The story of Christ echoes this. The eternity placed in our hearts came to dwell among us, stripped of everything—including His life—so that we could be redeemed. Just as Job's recognition of and faith in God led to his redemption, so too does our recognition of Jesus lead to the very same thing. To be born again is just that—a redeeming of time and restoring of spirit, ensuring we spend eternity with God.

Embracing Collateral Beauty

You are made new and restored to Him who created you. Jesus is the bridge that closes that gap. I have been writing this word for a number of weeks. I felt strongly that I needed to take some time with this. Collateral beauty can be found simply by finding and holding onto Jesus. By recognizing and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in, through, and for us—even in moments of pain, and even when we don’t understand.

What I know is that spending time in prayer, presence, and worship is never wasted. Without my faith, life would be meaningless. It’s in that understanding that I have found true beauty.

He makes everything beautiful in its time. And I know there is nothing better than for people to be happy and do good while they live. Trust that—and trust Him.

God bless,

Priscilla xx