Desmond Doss, Hacksaw Ridge and a Yoke

Monday night I was with my sons and three of their friends watching Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge. For those unaware, Hacksaw Ridge is a graphic war movie, the second half filled with bodies being blown apart, riddled with high powered rifles, and flamed every few seconds. But that’s just a setting, atrocious as it was, for the real life actions of one conscientious objector medic, Desmond Doss, who was trying to be faithful to hear and obey God’s voice amidst one of the great theatres of our time, World War II.

One problematic aspect of many movies is that they focus on a narrow slice of life, a moment in time, something grand, awful, heroic, or life changing. In this case, the 12 hours of heroism is stunning because it is clearly miraculous. Where Desmond was placed and what he accomplished was humanly impossible without the sovereign intervention of God.

Because of this shortcoming of many movies, when I see a movie based on a true story, I want to read the true story. From the little I read, Desmond’s life is classic in that the contrast between these unbelievable 12 hours on Okinawa is framed before and after with decades of ordinary, difficult, faithful living.  Yes, he single handedly saved the lives of about 75 men on Hacksaw Ridge, hauling them to safety out of a living hell, but he was no one from nowhere, having previously known both boredom and adversity.

And when he returned from the war, he was 90% disabled, spent 5 1/2 years in and out of VA hospitals, and his wife had to go into nursing to support them. He lost his hearing for 12 years, before receiving a cochlear implant, probably from too much antibiotics dealing with the tuberculosis he contracted overseas, which left him without a lung and five ribs. But interviews late in life reveal a joyful, God-glorifying man.

Why the real Desmond’s story is compelling is that it seems 99.5% of his life, he was just trying to be faithful to God and take the next step. That’s the realm of life in which we all live. And in that realm we often wonder: “What am I doing with my life? Am I making a difference?”

The hinge point of the movie is when the regiment has retreated down the cliff, leaving Desmond in a world of Allied aircraft bombardment, enemy soldiers on the prowl, and many wounded and dying comrades. He prays:

“What is it you want of me? I don’t understand. I can’t hear you.” 
In the background he hears wounded soldiers crying out: “Somebody help me!” “Medic!”
And he responds: “Alright.” And then walks into a blazing inferno to rescue “just one more.”

This is where we live every moment of our existence as believers. It is the antithesis of The Sluggard that Robin preached about Sunday, who’s worlds revolves around himself, his comfort, his fears, his absorptions. It is as simple as taking the next faithful step forward in the world in which God has placed you.

Your world may be a wheelchair or bed you haven’t moved from in ten years. Or it may be being perpetually exhausted from a houseful of young children with boundless energy and needs. It may be trying to drag yourself out of a past of addictions and abuse, demons and memories chasing you. Your world may be the tedium of studies or another day on the job: “Just one more.”

Whatever your situation, as a believer is it within the invitation of a yoke:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. - Matthew 11:29

Jesus invites us into a relationship as close as two oxen bound together, working together, resting together. There is no danger or joy the one ox faces that the other does not feel. And each step is: “What do you want of me?” “Alright.” 

The vast majority of our activity is mundane. But that does not mean life is mundane. We are yoked to Glory Himself!. He is near, very near. We are going somewhere. Behind is furrowed land. We may not see it, but work if being accomplished, by me, and Jesus. And joined with him we find the yoke easy and the burden light. 

Oh, there may be some mountain top experiences and miracles you walk through, but at the end of your days that will not be what you highlight. Rather, it will be the one who walked beside you every step of the way, who directed your path, who was near, very near, even when his voice was faint. Ask Desmond Doss.