Slumdog Millionaire cleaned up at the Oscars. It is a fictitious story of the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. A young man from the slums of Mumbai ends up on the show and makes it all the way to the last question that will make him a millionaire. For those of you who have yet to see the film I don't want to ruin it. As he answers each question the movie shows a flashback that explains how he knew the answer to the question. The flashbacks show his life as one of tremendous tragedy and hardship. As an orphan he and his brother are taken in by a terrible Indian version of Fagin (the villain who uses and abuses orphans in Dickens' Oliver Twist). It is absolutely heart rending. That is all I will tell you about the movie. But I will say this, I have been to Mumbai and walked the streets. I have seen all of the sights in the movie. I have heard the sounds and the wonderful accents of the little Indian street children. There are some terribly sad places in Mumbai. I have also walked into orphanages staffed by men and women who love Jesus. I have seen the faces of hundreds of children who have been rescued from lives of unspeakable horror. Their smiles are forever etched in my mind. Nearly every time I have left India the last thing that happens is the great and wonderful line up. All the girls of the orphanage line up on one side and all the little boys on the other. I walk down the line shaking each hand and looking squarely in jet black eyes and blinding smiles as the children thank me for coming. As I sat in my theater seat and watched Slumdog Millionaire I found myself choking back the tears. Our church has indeed done much to change the lives of hundreds of children in India. And yet there are so many more. So today I am thankful for the Oscars maybe for the first time. And I am praying for the children of India and for all of us as we try to figure out what our part is in a world where slumdogs don't really become millionaires.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
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2 comments:
The "riches" we have here sure seem to put a veil between my eyes and the glory of God. I know seeing India has changed my focus a lot. Although the farther time wise I am from the experience, the more my memory is dulled. So, I look forward to seeing the movie. I am sure it will, like you, bring tears to my eyes and a longing for the redemption of all things that are His.
We may not know the "why" answers to such poverty but I am glad we can trust in the "Who" behind all things. The more I know Him and His attributes- the more my "why" questions fade away. What a wonderful God we serve!
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