Movie Blog Post: MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN

by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

 You Don’t Have to Be a Believer to See Miracles in People

I think ever since Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” did so well at the box office in 2004, studios have been taking a chance on releasing a faith-based drama leading up to Easter. In 2014 I saw the film Heaven is For Real (click for T&Tpost), produced by T.D. Jakes and Joe Roth, which left me questioning my true perceptions of heaven and its existence.  Miracles from Heaven by the same producers, turns my attention to suffering, if it can be relieved so miraculously, why not for more people, more often, why must it be so rare?

Directed by Patricia Riggen, Miracles from Heaven is a memoir written by Christy Beam, the mother of a little girl, Annabel (Kylie Rogers) who had a severe, rare and incurable digestive disorder, but is cured after falling through a hole in a tree. Jennifer Garner, who I haven’t liked in a movie since 13 Going on 30, plays Christy Beam and she’s a fierce mother lion Texan, but believable and likable!

Suddenly being able to digest food after falling into a hollow tree, sounds harder to believe than the Burning Bush. However, the movie is much less about healing miracles and more about how dealing with a sick loved one affects everyone in the family and every part of everyday living, from finances to separations. And it brings to light the unexpected joys which come from the compassion of others just when you’re about to lose hope.

How does the real Annabel feel about all the media attention?

“She is such a humble child. She has such a sweet heart. Her desire truly is for others to gain hope and faith from her story. She just feels that God blessed her. She truly believes and says, ‘God blessed me with this story and I feel like I need to use my story to encourage and give others hope. Her biggest thing she says is, even though she’s 12, she says ‘I want people to understand that you have to have faith and you can’t ever give up. You have to keep praying. Just because you pray today for God to take your headache away or make your stomach stop hurting, it doesn’t mean that he’s going to answer that prayer today or tomorrow, but it doesn’t mean that he’s not. We don’t ever know and that’s why you have to keep praying and have hope and be faithful. Her biggest funny thing, the only thing she really says that is media-related, ‘I sure hope I meet Selena Gomez one day.’” – Christy Beam Town Hall.com

Bottom Line: For some reason, even though you know Miracles from Heaven is based on a true story which ends happily, it pulls you into Annabel and her family’s pain & plight, without being schmaltzy or overly dramatic, no clichéd lines like “If I could take the pain for you I would”. During the movie, I couldn’t help but cry both tears of sorrow and joy.

Miracles from Heaven MemeMaker – post a picture of your “Miracle from Heaven”

I realize everyone else on the Miracles From Heaven Meme Gallery posted a picture of someone special in their lives; I do appreciate the people in my life, but I can’t determine who would classify as a “Miracle”. On the other hand, I had the same car for 23 years, a miracle in itself, and when I finally had to put it to rest 3 years ago, I didn’t see how I could afford to get another car. At the time, I was working a job that would have been a 2 hour commute on public transportation. I won’t go into the details, but God worked things out for me and I was able to get this Kia Spectre, it’s been a good and reliable car – a blessing!

T &T’s LAMB Score: 4 outta 5