Call Me the Clay

Movies.  I have watched a couple of movies recently that really touched me.  Movies that had me coming away still thinking about them and I thought I would share some of those thought with you.

The first was called ‘The Intouchables’ – a 2011 movie and based on a true story – full of meaning and humor.  It is about a quadriplegic who hires a young man to be his caregiver – who at first glance would not be your typical caregiver.  This movie reminds us not to ‘judge a book by its cover’ in so many ways.  First of all – the young man from the projects has more skills and abilities than those who are supposedly ‘qualified’ for such a position – but he also brings other things too.  He tells it like it is and is very up front about everything.  This is refreshing for the quadriplegic who is tired of the way people see and treat him.  He appreciates that the young man doesn’t ‘see’ him as unable or crippled.  He ‘sees’ him like anyone else.

The two men grow close and the story allows you to see how each one cares for the other in different ways.  It also shows us that though our lives are busy and full – we shouldn’t forget those less capable of the simplest of things like walking or feeding ourselves.  They still have life in them too.  They still have feelings and desires and dreams.  And, they have much to offer if we only slow down a bit and pay attention.  And maybe that is why this movie touched me.  Suffering from Fibromyalgia means that I am not able to participate in all of the things that I would love to do.  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be included or at least invited to activities.  It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to spend time with my friends and family….but I may need to make some adjustments to when, where or how.

The second movie is a recent movie by Kirk Cameron called ‘Unstoppable’.  I was excited when I heard this movie was coming out because I have really enjoyed the Christian movies that Kirk has been involved in such as ‘Fireproof’ – which was awesome!  I have to say that I was initially disappointed in this one though.  I appreciate Kirk’s efforts in what he was trying to get across…..but it just took too darn long to get there!  My daughter and I kept sitting there wishing he would hurry up and get to the point.  And honestly, there were some aspects of the movie that we never did understand the purpose of it – he must have been thinking on a much deeper level than we were – Ha!  But I understand that he was trying to present this in a manner to help those who may not be Christians as well as food for thought to those who are Christians.

Ultimately, Kirk is trying to explain some sort of ‘answer’ to the age-old question of ‘Why did God allow (fill-in-the-blank tragedy) to happen?’  For instance, why do kids die of cancer or why did someone die in a car wreck.  I’m not going to provide his ultimate explanation – which really leaves the viewer to draw their own conclusions – but I do have some thoughts about some of the things he mentioned.

First of all – he referenced cemeteries as being called ‘Gravegardens’ – and though I haven’t actually been able to find that specific terminology pertaining to cemeteries (I ran across Grave Fields once), I like the term.  While using various stories from the bible he suggested that when one passes away we become seeds that scatter in the wind – and that it is part of the process for growing elsewhere.  Basically he was saying that we all have a time here before moving on to the other.

But this triggered some other thoughts for me.  I’m thinking – aren’t we supposed to ‘plant seeds’ in this life?  So it seems to me that maybe we scatter the seeds and touch lives of others while we are here on this earth.  We all have a specific ‘allotment’ for whatever God’s purpose is – and when we are done – is it our time to move on?

Think about it.  Just think of how those miraculous children with cancer touch our lives.  As a society we are always amazed at how strong they are and how happy they are though they are going through so much or how full of faith they always seem to be!  They inspire us to be better.  They cause people to consider their own belief systems and their own life situations.  I firmly believe that they touch more lives in their limited lifespan than many of us who live many more years.

Everyone has a purpose – and maybe some don’t even realize what purpose they serve.  But in the end – who is to say that they have not fulfilled their purpose and it is now time for them to move on to their next adventure with their Creator?  Grave Gardens – where God’s flowers are planted so they can bloom into the next season.

Okay – maybe this sounds cheesy…..but I like it.  I would rather think something like that than to try to ‘convince’ myself once more that ‘they are in a better place now’ and yet not feel comforted.  We always say that don’t we?  ‘They are in a better place’ or ‘They are no longer suffering’ – which does help some….to a point.  But then what?

So for me I like this little picture I now have.  I know that we will never understand God’s reasoning behind everything – but for me this helps to paint a picture that provides a bit more comfort in the ‘unknown’.

To sum it up – the movie/documentary is extremely slow at getting to the point.  And then I’m not sure what the final outcome is for everyone – make up your own mind with the food-for-thought that Kirk provides.  But I am glad that I watched it.  I like that it provided some thoughts that had never occurred to me before.  I like that it stuck with me afterwards……for me, that is a sign of a good movie!

SO – have you seen either movie?  If you have – what are your thoughts?