Why Every Teenage Girl Needs To See 'Grace Unplugged'

*Warning: this contains spoilers*

I remember being 17. I had huge plans. Plans to conquer the world. Plans to run far away from my home. Plans to be someone important.

The funny thing about plans is that they often fall through because life is messy. 

And God's plans are always bigger and better than ours.

When I watched Grace Unplugged last night with my husband, I felt transported back to a time and place very different from where I am now. I was transported back to those last days of high school, when I was convinced that someday I would be a famous writer or CFO of a Fortune 500 company. 

Today, my titles are a little different. I'm sure the 17 year-old version of myself would have a meltdown if she saw me today. I'm simply a wife, Sunday School teacher, and small business owner. And I'm perfectly happy with that.

I couldn't help but smile as I reflected back to those naive years filled with selfish ambition. That's why I immediately identified with the main character, Grace. I saw a lot of myself in her, like most girls and women will when they sit down to watch this movie.

Grace Unplugged begins where all the best movies start: with a young woman in search of something more. Following in her father's footsteps, Grace pursues a music career in Hollywood. What she quickly discovers is that Hollywood doesn't have room for her faith or her God. Only her talent.

Her manager begins working on her image as soon as he gets the go-ahead from the record label exec. So, they change her clothes, give her a fancy car, and set her up with a teen heartthrob. But Grace finds that she must sacrifice a lot of herself to become the latest pop-sensation.

Something really struck a chord in me when a rival pop star sits down with Grace and tells her that her body can be used as "currency" in the new world she finds herself in.

In silence, I wondered for a long time how many other pop stars had to give up their innocence--their virtue--to get where they are today. I concluded that most of them probably had to give parts of themselves away to gain fame and success. And that just breaks my heart.

Grace Unplugged shows the ugly side of a business I try my very best not to pay much attention to. It's why I rarely watch movies, buy music, and cringe at some of the things I see on TV.

No, I'm not a prude. I simply don't want my home filled with anything bad. My home is a safe haven--not a place to display the dark sides of the culture we live in.

And let's be honest: what Hollywood is selling today isn't a good example for young girls.

Sex.

Money.

Social status.

The idea that we must give up our morals and values to be well-liked and well-received by the public. 

So, when my pastor's daughter recommended Grace Unplugged to me, I really was eager to watch this movie.

There is nothing more satisfying than watching a father fight for his daughter and her faith. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a young woman choose to turn her back on fame and success because it required her to walk away from her God. 

I truly believe the best part of this movie was watching Grace and Quentin's friendship bloom in the midst of her great trial. Because that's how God works. He always puts the right people in our lives at the right time to remind us how much we are loved and adored by Him. Quentin interning at the record label was by no means a coincidence; he was put there to steer Grace back to her faith when Hollywood was forcing her to leave it far behind.

Every teenage girl needs to see this movie because it's a real and honest portrayal of why there is nothing worth pursuing in this world other than God. 

Sometimes, we do walk away from our faith for a season as young women trying to figure out this life. But God is always faithful to receive us back when we realize life is empty and meaningless without Him.

This movie was a great reminder that God doesn't plant dreams in our hearts to crush them. Instead, Grace was able to fulfill her dreams on her terms--not on Hollywood's. She didn't have to walk away from God to be a performer. Her dreams did come true. And though she doesn't grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine like so many other young women chasing fame, she honors and glorifies God with her music. 

That is a message worth sharing with our young women: we don't ever have to abandon our faith or innocence to dream big. We just have to trust God.

To purchase Grace Unplugged for the teenage girl in your life, check out MY STORE now.