“No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 CSB
Pfc. Desmond T. Doss was the subject of the 2016 WWII movie Hacksaw Ridge. He was a Conscientious Objector from Virginia who refused to bear arms against another human being based on his religious beliefs. He was ridiculed, persecuted and ostracized for his beliefs by his peers, yet he never wavered. He became a medic who never carried a gun. He earned the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Battle of Okinawa, the bloodiest battle of the war that lasted over two months. One night, while everyone else retreated, he didn’t. He went back and forth across the battlefield carrying wounded soldiers to safety, one by one. Each trip back into the thick of battle, as bullets whirred around him, he literally laid down his life for his friends. When the morning sun rose the next day he had saved 75 lives.
Friends who had persecuted him. Friends who had ostracized him. Friends who had ridiculed him. Friends who were strangers to him. He laid his life down for them. Because he believed in the commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” God’s word made him a hero to man, took his unhealthy relationships and made them healthy. God’s word made him a faithful servant to God. 75 men were given a second chance at life because of what he did. If they didn’t know God before that night, they certainly did after it.
God’s word can do the same for you.
Obviously, Desmond Doss is an extreme example, but what he exemplified most was his faith. His belief that God can do all things (Phil. 4:13). His faith that we are to love one another above ourselves (1 Peter 4:8). His understanding that we are to humble ourselves for God’s purposes (1 Peter 5:6). He wasn’t trying to win the approval of man, but of God (Galatians 1:10). He spurred his fellow man on towards love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). Without doubt, he prayed for them (James 5:16). He was a friend to his fellow soldiers that stuck closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
If you want the key to healthy relationships, take a cue from Desmond. Look into God’s word and do what it tells you to do. Your relationships will flourish beyond your wildest imagination. They will be healthy, but it may not be easy.
