My wife and I saw "Lion" over the weekend. This wasn't a great movie on the level of "Schindler's List" or "The Pianist," but it was great in its ability to tell a true story that got to the heart of adoption, without the need to invoke any particular theology. The movie did, however, deal with religion indirectly, for those willing to see it.
The story is about a 5 year old boy in India who gets separated from his family accidentally, gets lost a thousand miles away, and ends up being adopted by an Australian couple. 25 years later, he returns to India to search for his long lost biological family. The only spoiler I will give is this: THIS MOVIE WILL COMPEL YOU TO ACTION; IF IT DOES NOT, THEN YOU ARE DEAD INSIDE. As an adoptive father (two different countries, both times older children), I will leave you with some observations from the film:
1) Notice that the film is about an hour long before anybody shows any kindness to the boy. There are religious people all over India, yet no one in that sea of humanity does anything. He is completely on his own. Is our religion that way too?
2) The film-makers had to show in some way that children come with incredible baggage. A boy at the Indian orphanage is shown going crazy in the clutches of unspeakable abuse. This scene is inserted to draw your attention to the difficulties of the Australian couple's 2nd adopted child, who has severe emotional problems. Adoptive parents would understand this already, but the average viewer might just say, "Why is that boy so strange?"
3) There is a scene with children sleeping in a subway tunnel, then being abducted by strangers. A law enforcement official stands by and does nothing. 80,000 children disappear in India each year. How many of them mercifully die? How many are bought and sold as sex slaves? Can this happen without the consent of law enforcement? Can this happen here, in America, without the consent of law enforcement (rhetorical)?
4) Adoption is disruptive. It may cause you to set your dreams aside. It may change your expectations for your children. It may embarrass us, cost us a lot of money, put us in harm's way, give us an unfortunate but accurate view of mankind. But as a Christian, has not God called me to be disrupted? What does my agenda have to do with taking up my cross daily?
So, what do you do after you see this movie? Let me suggest a few things! Sponsor a World Vision or Gospel for Asia child. Become a foster parent. Adopt a child, locally or internationally. Babysit for a family with adopted children. Give money to an adopting family. Go serve children on a short-term mission trip. Explore ways with your church leadership to become a church that encourages adoption. Choose your own adventure.
Finally, don't think I'm here to say "look at me." I'm here to say "look at you." If you pray, ask God how He would want you to be involved. Expect an answer. Then take a step in faith.
The story is about a 5 year old boy in India who gets separated from his family accidentally, gets lost a thousand miles away, and ends up being adopted by an Australian couple. 25 years later, he returns to India to search for his long lost biological family. The only spoiler I will give is this: THIS MOVIE WILL COMPEL YOU TO ACTION; IF IT DOES NOT, THEN YOU ARE DEAD INSIDE. As an adoptive father (two different countries, both times older children), I will leave you with some observations from the film:
1) Notice that the film is about an hour long before anybody shows any kindness to the boy. There are religious people all over India, yet no one in that sea of humanity does anything. He is completely on his own. Is our religion that way too?
2) The film-makers had to show in some way that children come with incredible baggage. A boy at the Indian orphanage is shown going crazy in the clutches of unspeakable abuse. This scene is inserted to draw your attention to the difficulties of the Australian couple's 2nd adopted child, who has severe emotional problems. Adoptive parents would understand this already, but the average viewer might just say, "Why is that boy so strange?"
3) There is a scene with children sleeping in a subway tunnel, then being abducted by strangers. A law enforcement official stands by and does nothing. 80,000 children disappear in India each year. How many of them mercifully die? How many are bought and sold as sex slaves? Can this happen without the consent of law enforcement? Can this happen here, in America, without the consent of law enforcement (rhetorical)?
4) Adoption is disruptive. It may cause you to set your dreams aside. It may change your expectations for your children. It may embarrass us, cost us a lot of money, put us in harm's way, give us an unfortunate but accurate view of mankind. But as a Christian, has not God called me to be disrupted? What does my agenda have to do with taking up my cross daily?
So, what do you do after you see this movie? Let me suggest a few things! Sponsor a World Vision or Gospel for Asia child. Become a foster parent. Adopt a child, locally or internationally. Babysit for a family with adopted children. Give money to an adopting family. Go serve children on a short-term mission trip. Explore ways with your church leadership to become a church that encourages adoption. Choose your own adventure.
Finally, don't think I'm here to say "look at me." I'm here to say "look at you." If you pray, ask God how He would want you to be involved. Expect an answer. Then take a step in faith.