The special forces troops that were tackling this mission weren’t planning on wasting time. They had already seen enough danger, adventure, and rigorous training to fill a lifetime, but now on top of that, they were on a mission that could mean victory or defeat for the Allies. World War II had already been raging for three years and now French resistance intelligence had caught wind of a Nazi project that could obliterate an entire city with just one bombshell. The success of the project hinged on experiments housed in the Vemork Hydroelectric Power Plant in the mountains of Norway. Here the Nazi scientists were experimenting with uranium and a mysterious substance called “heavy water.” Could the Nazis construct a weapon that could bring the rest of Europe to its knees in a matter of days? The Allies weren’t willing to flirt with such a disastrous fate, so they recruited four Norwegian Special Operations Commandos to sneak into the secret facility and sabotage the project before it was too late (“Heavy Water Sabotage”). The team of soldiers knew they very well might be walking into a suicide mission, but they also knew the stakes. The results of their mission could mean the difference between victory or defeat. Their skills, upbringing, training, even their physiques all appeared to be custom-built for this mission. They definitely felt called to this task.
We all have calls of one kind or another in our lives. The call to pursue a career, the call to raise a family, the call to lend a hand to an individual, the call to engage in civil activities as a citizen, the call to encourage a friend. But perhaps the call that’s most mentionable is the one that encompasses all these parts of daily life—the call to bring glory to God’s name. Paul says in I Corinthians 10:23, 24, 31: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being….Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Paul highlights the greatest pursuit in glorifying God—that of spreading the message of His love to the world. We can do this by realizing each other’s weaknesses and struggles and seeking to nurture each other rather than asserting our own rights and desires. Just as that team of paratroopers recognized their unique skills, trained vigorously, and sacrificed greatly in order to successfully halt the danger of a nuclear weapon and win victory for the Allies, we too can realize our gifts, seek the good of our fellow pilgrims, and realize the joy of sacrificial glorying in God’s cause. Let’s focus on Him!
“Norwegian Heavy Water Sabotage.” Wikipedia. 25 February 2020. Accessed March 4, 2020. Online.