Slumdog Millionaire

Tony and I just came back from watching the movie that won the Oscar for "Best Picture." I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about. Was it really worthy of nabbing the coveted Golden Boy?

It was... and then some.

The movie begins with foreshadowing. We are told how it ends. Jamal wins $1,000,000 dollars on India's version of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE. Then the real story begins... How does he know the answer to almost every question that is thrown at him? We're taken back in time...

Jamal's life begins as a child in the garbage slums of Mumbai. He experiences far too much tragedy in his short life but amongst all the sorrow and pain he does one thing. He remembers and learns from what he experiences and he hangs on to what is good... refusing to let go of hope.

This was the first time in a long time that I've been at a movie where no one left the theatre when the movie was over. The credits rolled as the song "Jai Ho" played. I googled what Jai Ho means. It means "may victory be yours."

I think that that's the reason that this movie won Best Picture. It captures the essence of what our society refuses to acknowledge - life is full of disappointments and tragedies and they are not always a bad thing. Ultimately in the end we will be victorious. God never promises that life will always be easy. What He does say is that He will be with us through it all. God says that our whole life is laid out before Him. He know what every one of our days will hold. What we choose to do with those days is up to us. We can choose to just exist or we can choose to live each day, soaking it all in, no matter what the day holds.

Only He know why things happen and what the lessons from them are worth. Our job is to pay attention.