"Taken"

Last night I watched "Taken" with my roommate Sam (she is a stellar, passionate woman of God and I adore the heck out of her!). We had a phenomenal conversation earlier in the evening about justice and mercy while we were on a short hike, which ended up being a great precursor to this movie. The two of us simply raged at the injustices in this movie, because both of us know full well that the images and stories in this movie, though maybe not based on a true account, are based on actual events that occur every moment of every day on this earth. It absolutely breaks my heart.

Human trafficking and the sex slave trade are among some of the most difficult things for me to grasp (there are dozens more). The fact that someone can objectify, enslave, oppress and annihilate another human life in such horrific ways is absolutely beyond me. My heart absolutely breaks within me. Any time I narrow in on injustices and spend time researching and reading ghastly amounts of accounts and statistics I begin to over think my calling in life.

I spent some time reading in Hebrews and 2 Peter this morning as the sun rose (while also drinking a half pot of coffee...but nobody should be surprised at that!). In 2 Peter 1:5-10 it says this:

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

¹⁰Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

I was simply reminded that it is not necessarily exactly what we are doing for God's Kingdom, but the heart out of which we are doing it with. God first wants me to love Him, and the rest will essentially follow. I know for a fact that Christ is my all, that He is all I need to survive in this life. Nothing else will fulfill my desires like the sacrifice He made for me. So whether I am at home in Bend or working in Africa, I know that I'm serving Christ with a heart of gratitude and passion with what I've been given (1 Peter 4:10), and that is the most important calling on my life.