Tonight I watched Slumdog Millionaire for the first time with one of my roommates Kathryn. I bought the movie on Black Friday for $5. I decided to buy it 1)for the cheap price and 2)I heard it won many awards. So tonight we decided to give it a whirl. Wow, we both did not expect it to have such a plot. It was so hard to watch, all the violence and tough living these boys had to endure. Jamal and his brother lost their mother at an early age, were made child slaves, lost a friend to prostitution, killed a man, worked odd-end jobs, and did anything and everything they could for money. All before they were around 18 or so. Jamal goes to be on India's equivalent of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He knew all of the answers because he experienced the content of the questions first hand in his life.
This movie made my stomach turn. I am not one for violent movies, especially realistic violence and hardships of life. But then it hit me. This is our world. This actually happens. Every day. In India and other poor countries. And my dream is to teach overseas. I could very well end up in a school in a slum or rural part of the country. Children could be orphans, experienced slavery, and/or been part of a violent culture. I myself would be risking my life every day. And that's not just overseas. That happens in our own country. I dream of also teaching in an inner city school. Those children have experienced hardships as well. And I still will be facing danger every day at work. I told the Lord I will go wherever He sends me. I sometimes forget how hard that could be. The Lord could take my life while doing His work. Even worse, I could be put through violence and torture for His namesake.
David Platt writes in his book Radical, "Jesus said to his followers, 'Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.' Jesus clearly acknowledges that following him involves risking the safety, security, and satisfaction we have found in this world. But in the end, Jesus said, following him leads to a radical reward that this world can never offer [. . .]I can imagine the looks on the disciples' faces when the next words came out of Jesus' mouth: 'I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.' [. . .]We say such things as, 'The safest place to be is in the center of God's will' [. . ] What if we began to look at the design of God as the most dangerous option before us? What if the center of God's will is in reality the most unsafe place for us to be? [. . ]To everyone wanting a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, stay away from Jesus. The danger in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ [. . ] Jesus reminded his disciples that their safety was not found in the comforts of this world but in the control of a sovereign God over this world[. . .]We can rest confident in that fact that nothing will happen to us in this world apart from the gracious will of a sovereign God. Nothing[. . .]Don't be afraid of people. The worst they can do is kill you[. . ]When we risk our lives to run after Christ, we discover the safety that is found only in his sovereignty, the security that is found only in his love, and the satisfaction that is found only in his presence. This is the eternally great reward, and we would be foolish to settle for anything else. When we consider the promises of Christ, risking everything we are and everything we have for his sake is no longer a matter of sacrifice. It's just common sense[. . .] Jim Elliot once said, 'He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.'"
I know that was a lot from David's book but I can still remember where I was reading this chapter. I was at a Books-A-Million on a Sunday evening in Fort Walton Beach in late July this summer. The phrase "there is no safer place than the center of God's will" was shot down out of my file of phrases in my mind. It is not going to be easy. Missionaries that have been tortured for their faith say that they have never been closer to the Lord than in those times; they have to depend on the Lord.
I will confess something to you: lately I have actually wanted to suffer for my faith. I want to have to stand up for what I believe in and make His name known by suffering for Him. I know we should be careful for what we ask for, but what a place to be, totally dependent on the Lord for strength. The worst they can do is kill me. I know that I may seem a little dramatic but God has been slowly changing my heart towards dangerous missional situations. I remember sitting by a campfire at my confirmation retreat as a 12-year-old. My associate minister at the time called me over to ask what my plans were for my life. I told her I wanted to be a missionary. She asked what I would do if I was thrown into jail. Caught off guard, I told her I would sing songs to keep spirits up and be like Paul. Walking away from that campfire though changed a lot of my view of missions. I decided I didn't want to do missions anymore; I was too scared. It has taken until the year 2010 for the Lord to pull my heart back towards missions. Passion 2010 changed my outlook. The lives of children in desperate situations matter more than my comfort. I pray that the Lord will use me as a part of His divine plan to reach the nations.
Please pray for me as I begin to pray and raise support for my CCP (Cross Cultural Project) to Thailand next summer. I may not face persecution from Thai people because they adore Americans, but I will have to defend my faith and share the Gospel with Thai students. I am so looking forward to it.
In Christ,
Christine
"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?'"
Matthew 16:24-26
