Tonight is Christmas Eve as I write this. Christmas has always been a special time of year for me. It's always been the time of year that life just feels right, and it feels even more so this year, as this is the first time I've been home in a while.
Tonight, I had the opportunity to watch "The Soloist" for the first time. It's the story of an LA Times reporter who finds a homeless man who is an amazing musician, but has an incredibly hard life since he has schizophrenia. The movie does an amazing and artful job of portraying the world of the homeless. Now, I am not here to give a political, social, or judgmental view of the homeless. No. I'm just saying that it exists and that I have been moved by a film about said people, and I want to share that with you all on this Christmas Eve.
I am thankful that God chose this night to remind me of what Christmas is all about. Obviously I have been thinking about what it means, since it's the time of year that we think about the amazing breadth and width of how much God loved us to send His Son to die in our place. But it has been a bit crowded out by the business and family and whatnot. So God wanted to remind me using the mode that gets my attention the most: Film.
My prayers go out to the many homeless in the world tonight. Those without family or a roof, those without clothes, those without a "Merry Christmas". "The Soloist" said that there are 90,000 homeless in the LA area alone, which breaks my heart. I know that most churches have homeless ministries out there all over, but from my experience, only a few per church are really involved each week. What are we really doing to help these people in need? In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus says that we will have to answer for the deeds we do or do not do here on Earth, for what we do or do not do for our fellow man. I want to be Jesus to as many people as possible (in "Christianese", to "be Jesus" to someone is to reflect who He is to the people around us. Just wanted to make sure you didn't mistake my language for wanting to be God...). So what will I do to make sure this happens for this next new year? It's a question that I will grappled with for the duration of it. What I do know is that if I ask God for an opportunity, I'm sure He will gladly give it to me.
There is a rule in film: Either you can make a movie that says something meaningful, or you can make a popular movie. Great right? It's annoying. But I want to make sure I use the films I make for good, to say something meaningful. Ya, I'll probably make some stuff that's just fun to watch and go along with too, but I really do want to make things with a message. And I pray to the opportunity to do so.
And thus by writing this blog, I become a hypocrite. I write about what I can do, instead of actually going out there and doing something. That's something I want to change for the future. I have lived in two areas of high homelessness, sure. But I have been blessed beyond anything, and consider myself officially spoiled. So I want to use those blessings in my life and spread them around. It will be interesting to see where God takes me this year. This last year has involved so much growing, experiences, and fun, so I'm so excited for this next one! :D
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