Friday, May 25, 2012

To give your life...

"Remember, you've already given your life. You gave it by following Christ, when you decided to leave everything."
Brother Christian, "Of Gods and Men"

Yesterday was the anniversary of the day seven French monks were killed in Algeria. Eerily, the movie "Of Gods and Men," which is based on their story, arrived from Netflix the same day. I gathered I was to pay special attention to it! The monks knew they were in danger, but they also knew they were a comfort to the villagers in the small village of Thibirine. "We are the birds, you are the branch we sit on," one villager told them. At the beginning of the film, they wrestled with whether or not they should leave the country, as recommended by the government, accept military protection, or just continue living and serving the villagers as they had been. One monk, who was particularly distressed and wanted to leave, shared his dilemma with Brother Christian. And Brother Christian put his hand on the monk's shoulder and tells him, "Remember, you have already given your life..." It struck me very powerfully and I watched that part several times. Certainly, they have given their lives in service to Christ as monks, but shouldn't all of us, who follow Christ, do the same? How would we react to a life-threatening situation if we knew, in our hearts, our mission was to stay, peacefully? It is a wonderfully thought-provoking and powerful film. We all need to ponder what it means to give everything to serve God. Love, heidi

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