Embracing the Accidental

Did you know that one of the most iconic movie lines of all time was actually an accident that emerged from an argument?

Picture Arnold Schwarzennegger in his black leather jacket, dark sunglasses, and fierce demeanor in the 1984 science fiction movie The Terminator: And the line that cemented his rise to fame? "I'll be back."

Schwarzennegger said in an interview this week that the line he is so often asked to repeat came from a disagreement with director James Cameron. When Scharzennegger argued that "I will" sounded better because the contraction "I'll" was difficult for him to say, Cameron refused to change the line:

"Are you the script writer now?" Schwarzennegger remembered Cameron saying. "It's just one word. Don't tell me how to write. I don't tell you how to act."

After a rather charged argument, Cameron told Schwarzennegger to keep saying the line over and over, testing different inflections, and Cameron kept the cameras rolling until they ended up with one that worked.

"The Terminator was largely responsible for my success," Scharzennegger acknowledged this week. The Austrian and American actor has starred in at least 50 movies and served as California's 38th governor in the early 2000s.

In a culture that rewards success over failure and continual improvement over experimental hiccups, how often do we allow space for the accidental and the improvised? 

Proverbs 3 reminds us that we are to Trust the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding. Do you trust before planning, embracing the accidents that may very well be God's good plan? What can you do this week to lean into your faith, listening for the interruptions that may prove to be God's living presence in your life?

Christ's peace to you,

Jennie