Journal: #210 Les Miserables Always Makes Me Cry

Daily Journal
Written By Nik Curfman

I was 14 the first time I watched Les Miserables. It was my first and remains my favorite musical. I took my nephew Tucker to see it when he was 14, and he loves it too.

Tonight, instead of watching Star Wars, I watched Les Mis with my dad. I could tell he was hooked in the first five minutes. (Unfortunately, my mother joined us a bit too late for any of the story to make sense. She’ll need to re-watch it to understand the true power of the story.) I always get a kick out of watching the tale of Jean Valjean with someone who’s never seen it before. The Spirit of Grace and Mercy is so thick, not even Hollywood can wash it away.

I also try to hide my emotions while I watch Les Mis. It’s powerful. I cry every time.

Jean Valjean is us. He’s a man punished for a petty crime and then doomed to a life of shame. He hates the world for who it says he is. Who can’t relate to that? Then in one glorious moment he experiences grace and love. One severe act of kindness changed his life.

(For all the sin and hell preaching in Evangelical America, it is the kindness of God that leads to repentance. Paul wrote that. It’s in the Bible.)

This evening I saw something different in the story I didn’t notice before. Jean Valjean is the epitome of grace and mercy. He is us and who we want to be. His pursuer Inspector Javert (because Valjean broke parole after prison) is a law man. Javert believes in “honest work and righteous living.”

The line that caught my attention is during a confrontation between Valjean and Javert. Javert says, “I was like you. I am from the gutter too.” In this respect, Valjean and Javert are two sides of the same coin. Valjean is love and redemption, while Javert puts his faith in following the law. He’s bound by it and finds his personal redemption in his moral code. One man was remade by God, and the other tried to remake himself.

I’m never going to be a Christian in search of “the spot bride without wrinkle.” All too often we preach about sin. This is backwards. My job, anyone’s job, is to point people to Jesus. Whatever washing and cleansing the church must go through is a work of the Lord. Paul said that too. We got way too many Javert’s in the church, not enough Valjeans.

I realize it’s not my job to stop the Javerts. They need grace and kindness too. They need the Lord of love too. As do I.

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Nik Curfman

I am a writer and artist in the early stages of my trek. I spent 20 years trying to be who I thought I needed to be, and now I am running after who I am. Fearless Grit is my space to document and share the process. 

https://fearlessgrit.com
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