Paperclips

  Paperclips was on my instant queue for about a year before I finally removed it several months ago, certain that I would never actually get around to watching it.  Rachel and I can count on one hand the number of movies we have watched in the last seven months of our lives.  Caleb has greatly interfered with that routine, as well as the fact that Netflix doesn't have many good movies streaming.  (that said, we have watched Downton Abbey twice, and we're looking forward to Sherlock starting back up this coming Sunday.  Oh, and we're going to figure something out for when Batman comes out.  Because that looks awesome.)

  Somehow, I had no idea that Paperclips was based in Whitwell, TN.  My mom wants to go see the railcar this weekend, so I figured I should finally watch the documentary.

  Paperclips is about a project a middle school undertook over the course of four years.  They were studying the Holocaust, and one of the students asked a provocative question in relation to the number of Jews killed:  How many is 6 million?  It's a number that is nearly impossible for most of us to visualize, so they set out to collect 6 million paperclips.  The project stumbled along until a few catalysts came onto the scene, and soon it took on a life of its own.  The students ended up with over 29 million paperclips by the time the project was over, and they have a railcar that was actually used to transport Jews in Germany.  The railcar serves as the host for 11 million of the paperclips.  (One for each of the Jews killed, and they included an extra 5 million to symbolize the others deemed unfit that were killed by Hitler's regime.)

  The project is remarkable in how it brought a community together to remember this awful event in our world's history.  Not only were the kids in Whitwell changed, but those who came in contact with the project were also changed.  No one would have expected this to come out of this tiny community west of Chattanooga, but something small caught fire and grew far beyond what they could have expected.

  It's a valuable lesson for each of us--we don't measure the worth of our investments of time and energy by how we think they'll turn out in the eyes of the world.  We should measure them based on whether they are the right thing to do.  If we invest ourselves in what is faithful each and every day, God will take care of the rest of it.  We have to tirelessly seek out the most faithful path.  We have to resist sin and temptation and seek the good, the right, and trust that as long as we are doing everything possible to proclaim Christ, God will take care of what we can't control.  But let us not give up because the challenge is too great--may we remain faithful, even in the face of adversity, trusting in God always.