Cory Asbury’s hit song “Reckless Love” is more than just a beautiful worship song. It’s a personal testimony of faith, which we might soon experience in a movie from Paramount Pictures centered on this song! This movie will be produced by Devon Franklin through his Franklin Entertainment label. Several stories from Cory’s own life form the film’s storyline: Cory and his wife, Anna’s, own “love story” and Cory and his father’s difficult relationship.

Sometimes, the stories in our lives feel fragile. We recognize the beauty and strength these stories lend to our identity, to our faith, but it can be hard to share them. We might want to keep these stories secret, hold them close. We know we need to let go of these stories, send them on their way. But it’s hard.

This was Cory’s struggle. He asked himself if telling this story would hurt himself, his father, or their tense relationship. But this inspiring story contained more than just pain. This story could even uplift others, producer DeVon Franklin told him. Stories, even the most difficult, most fragile ones, can contain hope and healing. Even if it’s just a grain of hope, dim as the outline of the moon on a summer day. And Cory found that hope as he realized that his story didn’t have to be just about the pain he felt in that relationship. During a sabbatical year, after a deep, meaningful discussion with his father, Cory finally understood what to do with that story: share it.

Even though he didn’t expect it, God was preparing Cory to share the gospel with this story. God has a plan for our stories, even if it’s not what we expect. He knows every word and every letter that goes into our stories. He is designing the beautiful book cover while we are still trying to finish the outline.

Producer DeVon Franklin, executive producer Israel Houghton, and screenwriter J. Mills Goodloe are working on the project, although they haven’t announced the film’s release date yet.

But the story of this song started long before this time. When Cory Asbury was writing “Reckless Love,” Cory was trying to see who God really was, find His unfiltered identity amid Cory’s struggles from boyhood with his relationship with his father. That relationship prevented him from seeing Jesus Christ’s pure, reckless love in a way that wasn’t tainted by Cory’s anxiety or feelings of inadequacy.

But then Cory’s son Gabriel was born, and Cory began redefining what it meant to be a father, one step at a time, as he lived through it himself. Having that experience, soaking in those new emotions, helped Cory truly glimpse God as a Father.

Cory Asbury released his first worship album, “Let Me See Your Eyes,” in 2009, although he had been creating music for many years before that. He recorded music on solo albums and on Bethel Music’s albums. His family has lived in North Carolina, Colorado, and Michigan.

Cory also wrote a devotional to accompany his song “Reckless Love,” released in 2018 and nominated for a GRAMMY award. In the devotional, titled “Reckless Love: A 40-Day Journey into the Overwhelming, Never-Ending Love of God,” Cory shares pieces of his personal story as well.

The powerful song “Reckless Love” reflects the truth that God’s love is always there, no matter what. We may struggle against His Will, try to block out the sound of His words, or stubbornly refuse to think about Him. It might even seem we’ve made God into our enemy, the person we try to avoid at all costs, the way you turn away when you see someone you don’t like. But the song speaks of a different reality: “When I was your foe, still your love fought for me.”

The song paints a picture of two stories: our story and God’s true love story. In the song, we turn away from God, try to oppose Him and shield our love from Him. But God’s love story is turning toward us with all of His affection and beauty spread out before us like a beautiful quilt.

In the first part of the song, God enters the scene, welcoming us into the world before we were even aware of His presence:

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me (Cory Asbury, “Reckless Love”)

God is always there. His presence may be subtle, like the sound of soothing background music at a restaurant or the intangible feeling of spring in the air.

God is right behind us, stepping into the footprints we leave behind. God is the manifestation of “reckless love”: He would truly do anything for us. He is the greatest daredevil of all.

That’s the true definition of reckless, not the definition that implies making a bad decision or taking a dangerous dare, as Cory states in an interview. In this song, Cory purposely chose the word “reckless” to help us redefine the word and how it applies God.

God is reckless because He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV). As the song puts it,

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God (Cory Asbury, “Reckless Love”)

Here we see that opposition once again. God is turning toward us, even when we turn away. Even when it hurts to tell our story, as it did for Cory Asbury, God helps us strengthen even the most fragile of our stories.

Maybe you’ve been keeping a lot of stories stored in your heart. Sometimes it’s hard to know if we’re meant to share a story, or if we’re meant to keep it for ourselves. There are some stories that God asks us to share, and we can feel the momentum of that invitation. But other times, we have stories that feel like secrets, things we’d never want to share.

Maybe God is calling us to rethink those stories. Maybe He wants you to share that story you’ve never thought about, that story that feels dusty, worn out, maybe fragile. But stories aren’t like glass—they don’t break easily. There’s nothing we can do to break our stories when we have God. God keeps our stories safe, and He shields them with His love.

Do you feel God calling you to share one or more of your stories? You can take the first step and share your story with us. We’d be honored to hear your story.

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