“Lifemark” based on a true story

 A riveting film

I knew when I pulled this movie up that it would either be really good or be really bad in the sense that it would not be realistic about the very real fears, anxiety, and sorrow both parties in an adoption may inevitably go through.

Yet, it was a movie that one of the Kendrick brothers was acting in, so it had to be good. 

Relatable

And it was. Everything about it was quite gripping for me, a mom who actually went through the painful journey of unexpected pregnancy when I was in my early twenties, to the painful decision to not only let another family adopt my first child, but to remain open to it even when every part of me wanted to take it back and not let this family have my baby. And then there was the constant battering waves of depression, the regret, and the feeling of remorse. As if that wasn’t enough, I would spend the next decade of my life wondering a thousand things - like, did they ever tell her about me? What did they say if anything? Does she think that I did it because I didn’t want her or love her? Will she hate me? Will she ever want to even know me (not just what she has been told about me, but actually get to know the real me)?

To this day, I still think of the girl that is running around in Southern California, thousands of miles away from me, who probably doesn't even have an inkling of an idea who I am. I worry about her, I wish that I never gave her up, and I hope that she will know Jesus in a very real way without having to go through all the heartache that I did to finally get there. Because the fact is, I gave her up to that family under the belief that they would raise her up to know and love God. But I had my doubts. I was literally gambling away my entire worth when I gave her up to them. 

I know that I could have changed my mind. That's what they all said. But could I really? I felt like I had a gun to my head and like if I did change my mind then everything would come crashing down on me and things would end up so much worse. There's a whole other story behind my giving up this baby for adoption. And that, dear reader, is for a completely other time.

There's always hope

I guess what I really liked about this film was the fact that it offered hope and healing for anyone going through the tragic loss of their young children, and anyone who may be considering an abortion. It offers hope to the young lady who doesn't know what she'll do when she finds out she's pregnant. It offers hope to the young couple - or old for that matter - who have wanted a baby but never could have their own. It offers hope to the child who grows up in a family that adopted him or her; hope to know God's great love, how He has adopted us into His eternal family, and share that same hope with others.

My favorite tear-jerker moment in this film was the emotional ride when David's biological mother meets him for the first time and they discover so many things about each other: the questions they've had, the things they've battled with, and finally the things that they share in common.