Pretty Woman is one of my favorite movies of all time.  I was channel surfing the other night, and guess what was on TV?  It never gets old to me, and as they say, “You can watch a movie 10 times, and still see something different.”  Well, this time, my observation was, “Everything is Not What It Seems.”  Richard Gere sort of tripped into the life of Julia Roberts, with no plans of falling in love, but she intrigued his curiosity.  Enough that he wanted to see and know more of her.  She was in it for a quick dollar and a good time, and he was just looking for a “drive by” or so he thought…

Edward is a rich and sophisticated businessman who specializes in corporate raiding – buying up businesses to break them up and sell them off in pieces. Vivian is a Los Angeles prostitute struggling with her lifestyle and a need to pay the rent. On a business trip to Los Angeles, Edward hires Vivian to be his girlfriend for a week while he traverses the local social circles. Love and various social complications invade their tidy arrangement and have the pair wondering if this Cinderella-story could have a happy ending.

I will work from the end to the beginning…

The last line of the movie was, “What does the Princess do when the Prince rescues her, She rescues him right back?” 

What they didn’t know in the beginning was that they were both rescuing one another, but it was in their journey and exploration that would connect and give them a better appreciation for one another.  Each day brought about new adventure, and neither of them would admit their attraction to one another, beyond the obvious, so they went with the flow, and played the game, but it didn’t take long for the tide to turn.

He thought that he would be doing her a favor by taking her off the streets, but all the time, she was actually put there to, in turn rescue him.  It doesn’t matter what hand life has dealt us, it doesn’t have to determine our fate, and there is always a lesson in your living. 

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover – POINT BLANK!  Although she was a prostitute, had on a blonde wig, with skimpy clothes and 6 inch heels, she probably had more to offer him, than he did with his riches.  He was dressed to kill in his Rodeo Drive caliber suit, but was still a mess on the inside, which is why he had not connected with women before.  What did she do that was so different?  She actually observed and listened to him – and his money wasn’t a factor. She asked questions, analyzed, and because she grew to care about him, she offered solace.  It’s nothing more sexier than a women that can help her man work through some things, and still make him feel like he did it on his own.  Love is meant to balance you out, and we miss out on opportunities by judging what we see on the surface.  When she ultimately removed the clothes and wig, he couldn’t stop staring at her.  The real problem with her was, she didn’t know her worth.  She thought her circumstances defined who she was, but what he “gave back” to her was a sense of security.

Please understand:  God doesn’t make mistakes.  We pray for a husband/wife or soul mate, and even if he/she was to  walk right up to you, you wouldn’t know it, because they don’t look like, what you’ve told yourself you wanted.  Love doesn’t come wrapped in a pretty bow, with a resounding horn that announces itself, but its actually right there for us to unwrap and discover it’s beauty. 

DON’T BE IN A HURRY – DON’T LOSE FOCUS  and  TRUST YOURSELF!  Give love and the unsuspecting a chance! It’s when you step out on faith, and trust the process and His promise, that you actually get what you WANT and NEED!

Terry D.