Every Life Matters

I'm taking a step away from the daily Scripture meditation today.  I want to share something a bit different with my readers.

For the past several weeks, I have been hearing about a documentary called, "The Dropbox."  I first heard about it from Focus on the Family.  The promotional clips showed a Korean pastor caring for infants and children in Seoul, South Korea.  The children they showed were mostly little ones with disabilities:  Down syndrome, birth defects, etc.  I felt a tug at my heart, and wanted to know more.  There is a special place in my heart for Korea, as my dad is a Korean War veteran.  There is another place reserved for those precious children who are abandoned or unwanted due to perceived abnormalities.

Tonight, as we entered the theater, we were unsure if it was even being shown.  There was no sign of it on the marquee.  However, as soon as we were inside the doors, a woman asked if we wanted two tickets?  She had purchased four tickets to see "The Dropbox," but two family members were unable to attend.  Did we want their tickets?  We tried to pay her, but she wouldn't hear of it.  Wow.  I think we were meant to be there!

The theater was fairly full when the presentation began.  It was an unusual viewing, as it was not for entertainment purposes.  Yet here were dozens of people, gathering together to listen and watch...to learn.

The movie was directed by a man named Brian Ivie.  The background of the making of "The Dropbox" can be found at LifeNews.com.  What began as a project for the Sundance Film Festival became a life-changing journey for Mr. Ivie.  Meeting Pastor Lee and his wife was an experience Brian Ivie will never forget.

How can I describe seeing newborn infants dropped at this unassuming man's door?  Children who are unwanted, unplanned, or somehow seen as an inconvenience, left in the care of a loving stranger who will put them up for adoption, or adopt them himself...left in a dropbox.

The culture in South Korea still expects young women to remain chaste, in a sense.  That is, if a teenager becomes pregnant, she is seen as a "loose" woman, chastised by her peers, and often dismissed from school.  Though we often see single, teen moms in the United States, this is not the norm in South Korea.  Children with disabilities are too difficult, too expensive, and often looked upon with shame.  Unplanned pregnancies are seen as a disgrace.
Pastor Lee, however, sees each child as a gift from God.  He and his wife have a birth child with severe physical problems.  Through raising him, God opened their eyes to the gift of each life--whether deemed perfect by society or not.

This is a message so needed by our culture.  Children are not possessions to be kept or thrown away at a whim.  They are each a creation of God.  Each of them has a purpose and a place, if only given the chance.  To take that a step further, each human--no matter how young or old--has a purpose until the day God calls them home.  To shorten that life by any means is to ignore their dignity and humanity.

If you see one movie this year, this is the one.  Be ready to have your eyes opened, your heart challenged, and your life changed.