euthanasia, life, and "me before you"

If you've been on social media lately, you've probably seen articles encouraging the boycott of a movie that is to be released on June 3, a story about a caretaker (Louisa Clark) and a paralyzed man (Will Traynor) who form an unusual friendship and eventually grow to love each other. 
As soon as I saw the preview for Me Before You, I knew I wanted to read the book and see the movie. Not only did the story look like an adorable chick flick, it was also set in England and had Ed Sheeran music in the trailer. The book turned out to be even more than I had anticipated...in more ways than one. Jojo Moyes writes with incredible elegance, and the book is fast-paced and enticing... but the storyline also involved the topics of euthanasia, suicide, and will to live. 
I do believe that euthanasia is wrong. I think that assisted suicide is a dangerous slippery slope. I do believe that people with disabilities deserve to live because they are created in the image of God like everyone else. But I'm not sure if boycotting "Me Before You" is really the right answer.
* * * When I was nine years old, I was diagnosed with cancer in my right arm. After receiving multiple chemotherapy treatments, I had a surgery to take out the cancerous bone and replace it with a metal rod. Because the surgery also removed some muscles and ligaments, I have limited usage of my right arm. When I was sixteen, I had a massive cardiac arrest and soon after received an ICD, similar to a pacemaker. I have heart disease and though I can function quite well, I still have to take medicines every day and take care of myself. Even if I keep my current level of health, there will be multiple surgeries in the future. Because of my heart condition, it will not be safe for me to bear children. 
I know that my quality of life is incredibly good - there are many people who have it much worse than me. I am thankful for my mostly normal life. But I can also understand a little bit of what it means to be disabled. I can understand the yearning to be "just like everyone else". I can understand the depression of realizing you'll never be completely healthy again. In a small way, I can understand the pain of knowing you will never be the same person that you were before the health event that changed everything - physically and emotionally. 
Warning: Spoilers
In Me Before You, Will Traynor is depressed. His once active and exciting life changed forever due to a freak accident that left him a quadriplegic. Lousia brings love and joy to his life, but for Will, it isn't enough. He still doesn't see the point of living. He still doesn't see how he can go on.
When I first realized that the story would include an aspect of assisted suicide, I admit I was horrified. I felt sick inside and wasn't sure if I should finish the story. But as I read, Will Traynor's thoughts and actions echoed some of my own. I have struggled with depression on and off since I was twelve, and what originally began my thoughts of depression were my thoughts of self-hate. I hated my body and all of its scars and limitations. I hated the fact that I couldn't wear sleeveless clothing, because I was worried that people would ask about the ten inch scar down my arm.  I hated the scar in-between my eyes from when I developed a terrible case of chicken pox in the middle of my chemotherapy. I hated the fact that having physical limitations made some of my movements awkward and jerky. I refused to go on an airplane because I was embarrassed that every time I went through the metal detector, the metal rod in my arm would make the machine beep. I hated that I couldn't go to prom because I couldn't really dance because of my arm. I didn't think anyone could love me with all of my scars. 
But over time, I am slowly learning to accept myself. I don't believe that I should love myself, and I don't think that I ever will. But I don't feel depressed about my body anymore. I've started wearing sleeveless shirts and dresses. When my edit my photos, I don't take out the scar between my eyes. My awkwardness is part of me, and I'm told that it's "cute". I still don't want to fly on an airplane, but sometimes when no one's watching occasionally I do try to dance. 
What changed in me? What healed me? Perhaps part of it was time. But the greatest part has been learning to see myself as God sees me - someone made in the image of God and loved unconditionally by Him. One of the ways God helped me to heal from my emotional scars was by sending a very special young man my way. J has shown me incredible love and has always accepted and loved me for who I am, scars and all. He tells me that I am beautiful and that my scars are beautiful too because they are part of me. His love has helped me to accept who I am and to be content with everything that God has blessed me with.
I have not given up. The love of God and the love of others is enough for me. Though I still struggle with depression, I will not give in. 
* * *
Jojo Moyes did not set out to write Me Before You in order to raise awareness about euthanasia. She researched the topic because she was curious and simply set out to write a story (not a piece of propaganda). I don't think that this story claims that being disabled means that life is not worth living. I think that if this story had only included the topics of depression / suicide (not euthanasia), the response of the Christian community might have been much different. We might've even supported "talking about mental health" and "raising awareness" for an illness that affects many people, including Christians. Instead, Christians seem to get caught up in the next thing to support or boycott because everyone else is doing it. 
More than the hot topic of euthanasia, for me personally this story is powerful because it shows what life is without Christ - it truly is hopeless, whether you are disabled or not. Me Before You is the story of how a man listens to lies instead of love and chooses despair over hope. More than a story about assisted suicide, it is a story of how empty life is, how impossible it is to #liveboldly when you have nothing to truly live for. 
* * *
Again, I do not support euthanasia and I wouldn't feel comfortable supporting something that I truly believed was written in an attempt to disparage life. But I really do not think that the premise of Me Before You is to encourage the legalization of assisted suicide. Because of this, for me personally, I don't think it would not be wrong for me to see the movie. But for another brother and sister in Christ with different convictions and sensitivities, it might be unwise or wrong. Therefore the only reason I would choose not to see this movie would be so that I did not cause someone else to do something that for them would be sinful or unwise. 
I am not writing this post to justify the choices of the characters in the story or to begin a debate on euthanasia. I am not even writing this post to try and encourage you to see the movie. I simply wanted to provide another perspective and encourage you not to jump on the next bandwagon because everyone is doing it, but because it is a cause you truly know is right. Do something because you believe in it, not because everyone on Facebook is posting about it. Don't join the boycott because it's just the next thing that Christians are joining together to boycott, but because it is a choice and a conviction that is truly important to you. 
If you choose not to see this movie, I only ask that you make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.