William Wallace: standing for a cause

 

We watched Braveheart with our boys recently. It was the boys' first time seeing the movie. This has always been a favorite of Dave's. He sees the depth and the complexity of the story. I have always had a hard time with the abuse of women at the beginning of the movie, but I'll admit it is a great movie and definitely made a mark on me. Dave and I used to debate Wallace's feelings for the French Queen and whether or not he just used her or actually had feelings for her. I don't know where I stood on this debate years ago, but tonight that is not to piece of the story that stood out to me. 

Wallace knew injustice was happening. His people were being abused and taken advantage of. The women were toys to be be played with by the english nobles. Wallace marries his love in private and they keep their marriage a secret from all. Eventually an English soldier tries to take advantage of Wallace's wife and after avoiding joining any military efforts and striving to be a simple farming family man, he fights! He fights for his Love! His wife ends up being killed in order to lure Wallace out. This vaults him into a life of fighting for freedom. He fights for the freedom and rights of the Scotsmen. 

I cried watching this movie tonight more than I ever have. It touched me in a new way. I thought about the past two years and the hardships Dave and I have dealt with. It's minimal to others who've dealt with much worse than us. But our story is that the murder of George Floyd brought new pain into our lives. I ached over the realization that my son Judah, a black man, would struggle and have hardships I would never experience. My hearts ached and ached for the year of 2020. It was awful! Again, I won't compare my pain to the pain of others, but this is my story. So, back to Braveheart. . . I saw William Wallace as a man who knew what was right. Like really, really right! He knew that injustice was happening and he jumped into the fight. I know I am called to fight for the rights of the oppressed and the needy. This is the life Jesus lead and has called me to. This isn't always the popular choice. 

I think of my own life and the craziness of the Evangelical white church in the U.S. How did we get here?! I have a hard time relating to the church in the U.S. but more than that, I don't want to be associated with it in many ways. This brings me to Bruce. . . a character in the movie. He's the son of a Scottish Nobel and may have rights to become king. He struggles the entire movie with what he believes and what side he wants to be on. 

He pledged his allegiance to Wallace's cause, but betrays him because of his father's influence and the pressure of position and the possibility of the crown. He regrets his choice and decides to never be caught on the wrong side again. How does this relate to me? Years ago, Dave and I made a choice to follow the example of Jesus' life which flowed over into who we are as Americans as well as Christians. We decided that our vote needed to reflect what we believe was the Right fight. We chose to stand with the oppressed (LGBTQ, Blacks, Immigrants, poor and needy). This threw us to the opposite side of my extended family. I became the outsider. This was a choice we knew would have consequences but we were willing to take whatever came our way in order for us to choose to life like Jesus lived. 

So, God speaks and encourages us even in movies that have no actual connection to the gospel. But, I did cry as Wallace was tortured at the end of the movie, thinking about the cross my Jesus took on and the one he asked me to carry. The cross was a symbol of death and I knew I would need to be willing to go through anything for what is RIGHT. I have gone through little compared to many, but I will continue to stand for what is right!

 Now, I must clarify that the fighting and killing in this movie is BY NO MEANS the fight I am talking about. I do not believe Christians need to be willing to take arms and come to the "fight" armed with weapons. We've seen how that's worked in the past. I must fight the way Jesus did. He met the needs to those who had them and he stood up to the leaders and those with spiritual position. He calls us to stand for the oppressed. It takes the Holy Spirit in my life to show me how I must do this.