The people who know me well will tell you that I do not watch a lot of television. While many find television a relaxing activity, I do not. There are so many other things I would rather spend my time doing. But, I often turn on the television while I am engaged in other activities – for background noise. Then, I become very picky about the shows that are on the screen.

I have found over the last couple of weeks that my television is often on the Hallmark Channel – at least when I have control over the remote. After watching several of the Hallmark Christmas movies and getting past some of the corny situations the stars find themselves in, I have discovered life lessons that are valuable for each of us in our everyday lives.

Those around us see what we should do before we do.

In every Hallmark movie, the star of the movie finds him or herself with a dilemma, usually involving love or a financial situation that needs to be solved. What I have discovered is that each time, there is a close friend or family member who sees the solution to the situation way before the “star” does. And once you have seen one of these movies, you, as a viewer are able to see the solution as well.

Does it frustrate you that the person is not able to see the solution? Really, if they would just say the right word, or take this one simple step, everything would be right. So, if we can see the solution and the premise is pretty much the same in every movie, why do these movies hook us every single time?

I believe they hook us because we connect with the “star” much more so than the person who “sees” the solution. How often in our lives do we have a dilemma facing us for which we just can’t seem to see the solution? Or, perhaps we do see the solution but are paralyzed by the potential outcome of our choices.

Each of us needs a trusted person who we allow to speak into our lives to guide us when we are overcome by the choices surrounding decisions that must be made. The Bible tells us that “iron sharpens iron,” (Proverbs 27:17) and a friend loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17). And 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to build one another up and encourage one another.

Who are you willing to let into your life to give you the insight into yourself that you need? Who are you willing to trust?

Life requires a walk of faith.

In most of the Hallmark movies, we see a person who has been deeply hurt by a romantic love, a family member or a situation. As a result, the person usually has trouble with close relationships. Often when things don’t work out the way we had hoped or planned, we lose faith—we might lose faith in ourselves, in others or in God.

Faith is that deep-down feeling in our hearts that everything is going to be alright, even when things look pretty bleak. Without faith, we can become paralyzed anytime we need to make a decision. Often, this paralysis is only in one area of our lives—you guessed it, in the area where we have been hurt.

We see this over and over in the movies; the person who has been hurt has lost faith and as a result, has lost their faith. It seems that the longer they go without faith, the easier it is to do so as the wall around the heart gets bigger and the louder the lies spoken by the enemy are whispered into their minds.

Perhaps you have experienced this same phenomenon in your life?

We all need faith; faith is what carries us through the really difficult times, faith can really move mountains. Psychologists tell us that faith is the language of the heart. Jesus said we only need the faith of a mustard seed – the smallest of all seeds. However, as a seed, it must be planted to grow; then, like all seeds, it must be watered and fed—nurtured to grow (Matthew 17:20).

When we have experienced hurt or loss in our lives, we need to dig deep to find that little seed of faith that remains so it can be nurtured. When it is watered and fed it will grow, giving us that sense of hope and confidence that even when we don’t understand, even when we have been hurt by people who were supposed to care about us, we can trust.