As a self-admitted dog lover, I confess that I went to Marley & Me for nothing but the dog. I wanted to watch him make a mess, I wanted to watch him be cute, and I wanted witness the love story that could not help but unfold with him in its center. But while Marley is cute and the story of his life sweet, Marley & Me is much less a story about a dog and much more a story about life in general.
I was very surprised. I thought Marley would have been a so-so film. I was wrong. I think this was because they were about life in all its dimensions –career, marriage, children, birth and death. I recommend Marley to you. In Marley you will experience Unconditional Love in a new tear jerking way.
In the account of Marley's life with the Grogan family are no epic tragedies, unrealistically comic collisions, or overly dramatic dilemmas. Instead Marley & Me tells a story that is really about no more than the ordinary ins, outs, ups, and downs of day-to-day life. And in the same way that the family comes to know Marley as both the worst dog ever and the greatest dog they could have ever known.
While Marley may be one of the world's worst-behaved dogs, to Grogan and his family, he also becomes a source of amusement, comfort, and love that they can always count on. In retrospect, Marley's crazy puppy antics bring smiles to their faces even long after they have passed. When Jenny has a miscarriage, Marley sits loyally by her side to comfort her as she mourns. As the children grow up, he plays with them and watches over them. And as Grogan struggles to come to terms with his own life and identity amid a sea of surprise, Marley is the one always there to join him in quiet contemplation. "A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor," says Grogan. "Give him your heart and he'll give you his." And in much the same way, that is also true of God.
There with us for the long haul, from one stage of life to the next, in joy and in sorrow, and through the unfolding of both our best laid plans as well as our most incomprehensible and unexpected journeys, God's love and loyalty, like a dog's, is a certainty on which we can always count. Like Marley, His love is not based on how much money we have, what kind of car we drive, or what kind of job we hold. Whether its expression be calm and quiet or loud and boisterous, He will never shy away from showing His love for us in whatever manner necessary. And in the same way that Marley becomes not merely a spectator to their unfolding lives and growing family but an inspiration, an encouragement, and integral member, so can God.