Today is the day. Not Black Friday – Gilmore Girls revival day!
I’ve received a lot of texts from my friends. My Instagram feed is blowing up with Luke’s Diner memorabilia. And I’m even throwing a revival series viewing party in a few hours – complete with takeout and pizza.
I first watched the Gilmore Girls TV series in college. Josh and I spent many a date night working our way through the series (mostly with him complaining about Lorelai’s poor choices of relationships and necklines). I appreciated the banter, dramatic female relationships, and most of all the small-town community that reminded me so much of home.
But as I re-watched these episodes prior to the revival, I was burdened by a different perspective. Perhaps years of work, marriage and motherhood have matured me a little, but Lorelai was less entertaining this time around. Beneath her humor I saw something real – something I’ve seen in the eyes and words of women less witty, but much like her. These are women with strained family relationships. They’re women who got pregnant in high school. They’re tough girls who pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and don’t need anyone – especially God.
And I realized that all of us have a Lorelai – because Lorelai is the woman next door.
When I watch Gilmore Girls, I get the feeling I wouldn’t like Lorelai in real life. She’s loud, obnoxious, nosy, and often immature. She mishandles relationships and doesn’t communicate. She disrespects her mother and maliciously instigates fights. And since many Christian women enjoy this show, I want you to watch her closely this time around. The Lorelai’s of this world are your mission field.
I’m not looking to find “gospel themes” in a secular TV show – that’s not what I’m getting at here. But for Christian women who watch and enjoy Gilmore Girls, it’s important to really think about who these characters are. We like them because they’re realistic. But we also like them because they’re removed – removed from us, our families, and our communities. We like Lorelai because she’s not on the PTA with us. She’s not barging into our local coffee shop to flirt with the owner. And she’s not showing up at our child’s baptism in a skin-tight dress.
But I bet there’s a woman who is.
We like the Gilmore girls because they typify real life, but when people like Lorelai show up in our neighborhoods, churches and schools, we forget our evangelistic responsibility. We forget that it’s Lorelai who needed love so much she sought it all the wrong ways. We stand aside, the “Mrs. Kim”s of the world, only emerging to condemn and correct – but never to give, love, and listen.
As I get ready for my revival viewing party tonight, I’m asking myself: Who is my Lorelai? I challenge you to ask – who is yours?
Who is the woman who needs your patience, love, and kindness the most?
Who needs the gospel preached through your life and words?
Who needs to know that you do care about her life, her family, and her future?
Yeah, it’s just entertainment. But as spiritual people, we have a responsibility to do something with the things we put in our minds. So let’s let the Gilmore Girls revival motivate revival in our hearts – a revival of love for the Lorelai next door.
I recommend using discernment when watching the Gilmore Girls TV series. There are episodes and entire seasons I fast forward or do not watch. Read more in this post.