This afternoon I watched a French film called Des hommes et des dieux (Of Gods and Men).
The film recounts the true story of a group of French monks who (in the 1990's) were serving an impoverished Algerian village. Seven men in a quiet monastery. They operated a free clinic, grew their own vegetables, helped meet needs (shoes for children, helping women fill out applications for legal documents). They lived in harmony with their Muslim neighbors. As a civil war broke out in the country and religious extremists began terrorizing innocents, the monks had to make a decision:
Flee the country (as the local police official begged them to do) or continue their mission.
As I watched the film I marveled at the honesty of the portrayal of these seven men. They were human beings with a call from God on their lives. They knew as foreigners they could be used as political pawns. They certainly didn't want to die. And they struggled with the decision to stay or go.
They were walking a tightrope. The needs of the people God put in their care weighed against the value of their own survival. I can't imagine how difficult and frightening making that decision must have been.
Yet, in the midst of their internal crisis and the violence surrounding them, these seven men found peace.
And isn't that what serving God (whatever the circumstances) is all about?
When I watch movies such as Of Gods and Men, I ask myself—am I brave enough to trust God with my life? Am I humble enough to step out on that tightrope even if the winds are picking up (or some crazy person is trudging underneath with a tall ladder and a pair of garden clippers) and keep moving toward the destination?
Do I have the faith to face an enemy with forgiveness because I know God's plan is just?
Well, I know one thing. Life is lived one day at a time. I will probably never know the kind of fear or difficulty experienced by those seven monks in 1996—or the millions of people around the world who are faced with similar situations daily—but I will have tough decisions to make. I will face trials and tribulations as emotionally or spiritually challenging as anyone.
We all have our own tightropes to walk.
And I know when I step out in faith, God is with me (and all my brothers and sisters in Christ) through every second of the journey to the other side.
