Saving Private Ryan

Not a lot of women watch war movies as much as I do. There have been times when I’ve felt forced to watch them, but the truth is, I love history, nostalgia, and seeing bad guys brought to justice. I have a father who was a soldier, a husband who was a marine (scratch that, once a marine, always a marine), and God has blessed me with 3 sons all interested in military. Thank God I have one daughter who will converse with me about beauty tips. Bottom line is, I have become fairly well educated about specific wars and spent countless evenings watching war movies. So, forgive me, ladies, if you don’t find a devotional about a war movie to tickle your fancy, but give it a chance because there’s something very important God showed me while watching “Saving Private Ryan”.

This movie, which takes place during World War II, beginning with D Day, and I’ve been told gives a most accurate depiction of that day, has a theme of sacrifice, search and rescue. It leaves one man wondering in the end, why? Why was he so special to be singled out? Why would there be orders for a group of soldiers to risk and sacrifice their lives to find one, a Private James T. Ryan, and send him home? There are logical answers to that question, and we don’t even meet this young man till the end, because the majority of the movie focuses on what these other men suffer through in their attempt to find him.

It’s fascinating how well the story is laid out to draw the audience into this question of why, why, why? Why the lives of all these men to save the life of one man? It’s fascinating that the message of lives exchanged for other lives has to be spelled out to us this way, when the truth is, each and every one of us who have not been in the throes of war are alive because others have lost their lives for us.

For me, I already got that message a long time ago. It was the affect that this message of sacrifice had on this man, this character, Private James T. Ryan, for the rest of his life that got to me. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to look into the eyes of someone who has risked his life and behold life slipping away from him because of you? For your sake? So that you would live? I had not thought about these questions until I saw this movie. Oh, I thought about pain…the pain suffered by war heroes or any heroes for that matter. I’ve thought about the pain suffered by the greatest hero the world’s ever known, Jesus Christ. But it was different. It was different for Private Ryan to know what these men had done for him and then to witness death overcoming one specific man. It was just moments after this one specific man had quietly spoken something to Private Ryan, commending him to do something, admonishing him to be and to live a certain way.

As an old man, Ryan reveals that he had never forgotten those words. He had thought about them every day of his life, and through tears, he expresses his hopes that he had followed through. Out of all the admonitions ever given, wouldn’t you say that they would pale in comparison next to the words of the one person whose life was sacrificed?

Is that what it takes for us to follow commands? Does it require a sacrifice? The life of the one giving the command? Maybe so, but I’ve seen many people call themselves Christians, proclaim without a doubt their belief that Jesus died so that they would live, and praise God with their lips for the sacrifice He made, yet not follow the commands of Jesus Christ.

The one person who lost His life so that we can live not only in this life, but in eternity as well, gave us commands. How is it that we can know this with our hearts and proclaim Him as our Savior, but not follow these commands? I’m guilty of this…not 100% of the time, but quite often. Then I remember, and tearfully ask Him to forgive me and help me to follow through.

You know, a person can be told thousands of times throughout their lives by hundreds of people what’s right and wrong and how to live a good life. There could be threats given, rewards offered and control tactics used in attempts to accomplish right living in individuals, but there’s nothing like choosing to do the right thing out of love for the one who asked you to do it. What good is obedience if its not done out of love? There’s no true loyalty, no true devotion unless the obedience is done out of love.

At one point in the middle of the movie, the men are arguing back and forth about why they’re going through so much for one man. The answer that came from their leader was, “I don't know anything about Ryan. I don't care. The man means nothing to me; he's just a name. But if, you know, if going to Ramelle, and finding him so he can go home, if that earns me the right to get back to my wife, well then, then that's my mission.” So, one man’s life was changed because he experienced firsthand witnessing other lives sacrificed for his, and as a result, he lived his life in obedience to the words given to him. Yet those lives lost were not lost out of love. My friend, Jesus’ life was lost out of love for us all.

Greater love has no one than this,
than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
John 15:13

God knew how a sacrifice would impact mankind. It was not only to save us from hell, but to demonstrate the greatest love ever known. He knew it would be the ultimate act of love resulting in the ultimate acts of obedience from the recipients. That’s why He says in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.” Is He only your Savior, or is He both your Lord and Savior? He left us with a lot of words. Oh, if only each and every one of us could’ve looked into His eyes while He was on that cross, how much different would we be living our lives?

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

May 20, 2011Amie Spruiell