my new favorite movie

last night brian and i went to see the movie "the blind side." it was AWESOME!!!! i would recommend it to everyone of all ages. it is a movie that would be an awesome tool for an orphan ministry to use, or a family to use to share with their family their heart for adoption, or just to remind you of the need for people to step up and help the millions of kids that need are help.

i won't share every detail about the movie but it was so inspiring. the impact one family can have on a child in such a short amount of time is invaluable. this family took a chance on a child they didn't know. they invested in him and look who and what he has become. now i know not every child will become a pro-football player but he became SOMETHING! he beat the statistics. he didn't age out and become homeless, go to jail, become a teenage father, or even fall into the generational poverty. this family became a voice for this kid. they didn't take no for an answer. he wasn't doing well in school so they did everything they could to provide him with an opportunity to succeed. i love that they didn't just hand things to him but taught him life skills and gave him the choice to succeed.

there was a part in the movie (again trying to hold off the details) where it would have been so easy for the mom to react in a way that was unloving or showed favoritism to her biological son and kick the michael out. but she chose to treat them both as family and love on them the same. reminding michael that no matter what he did it didn't change the fact that she still loved and cared for him. most of these kids don't know that love is unconditional. they've probably seen love as a reward or not being loved as a punishment all for things they did or didn't do. so it is so important to remind them that no matter what they did or how you feel whether frustrated, angry, upset, happy, or excited that they will ALWAYS love them.

i would encourage you to see the movie. don't walk away just saying "that was a great movie". it's more than a movie. it needs to me a MOVEMENT! we need to rise up and do something good for someone. do something with no expectations of something in return. provide an opportunity for a child that might not have one otherwise. invest in someone. and most importantly LOVE!