Finally had the bandwidth to sit down, without distractions, and watch Hacksaw Ridge on Amazon Prime Video for the first time. Wow, what an incredible movie! The movie is Mel Gibson’s re-telling of the true story of Private Desmond T. Doss, an Army medic in WWII (Andrew Garfield) who served during the Battle of Okinawa without carrying a rifle into battle.

Spoiler Alert

Before the epic battle scenes, we get a glimpse into Doss’s life where he experiences the destructive nature of violence as a child which become the building blocks to his steadfast belief. Still, because his brother and other boys in town enlist in the war effort, Doss does the same — much to the dismay of his new girlfriend Dorothy (Teresa Palmer) and his veteran father (Hugo Weaving).

Doss excels in boot camp, outperforming most of the other men, but standing his ground in refusing to handle a rifle causes tension with his peers, Army leadership and his drill sergeant (Vince Vaughn). Taking this position puts his future in the Army at the mercy of a court martial. His entire unit questions if he can serve his country and have their backs without carrying rifle into battle until he more than proves himself when his company confronts the Japanese in the Pacific theater.

The Japanese counter-attack is so furious that the Americans must retreat down the rope netting. Doss stays behind, despite risking his own safety, refusing to abandon those who need him. Throughout the night, he manages to drag and carry the wounded back to the edge of the cliff lowering them one-by-one down to the medics below. By the end of the Battle of Okinawa, Doss had amazingly pulled 75 men from Hacksaw Ridge and because of his heroic efforts, became the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

It’s important to understand that this movie is R-rated for intense war violence that makes the opening scene Saving Private Ryan look like a Disney movie. There were no f-bombs and the foul language was almost completely absent.

There’s much to take in from this movie, but here are 10 life lessons I took away from Hacksaw Ridge:

1) A Father’s Influence Is Strong. Fathers have an incredible voice in the lives of their kids…an influence that should be wielded with extreme care. Their actions, good or bad, create a trajectory for their kids that can’t be fully understood in the here-and-now. The behavior portrayed by Doss’s father Tom (Hugo Weaving) set Doss’s trajectory and worldview as an adult. And dads, it’s never too late to redeem yourself for past mistakes…like Tom Doss did for his son during his time of need.

2) Courage Is Contagious. I’m reminded of Billy Graham’s quote, “When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” Doss’s courage and faith inspired others. Towards the end of the movie, another scene stood out to me. The company has to return to the top of Hacksaw Ridge to make the final assault, and Glover tells Doss that the men won’t go up without him. We then see the moving scene where the whole company paused for Doss to pray before heading up. They don’t necessarily believe what he believes but because he believes and they believe in him, his prayer matters. How powerful is that?

3) Be Grounded In God’s Word. The movie opens with Garfield quoting Isaiah 40:28-31: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

4) Recognize Life’s Defining Moments. Doss took a brick and hit his brother in the head with it, ending a fist fight with his brother. In this moment, Doss recognized that his anger almost killed his brother. When Doss was older, he stopped his dad from attacking his mother with a gun, setting in motion his decision never to pick up a weapon ever again. We all have these defining moments in life and are changed by them for better or worse. I share mine in my book ‘Heartstone: A Journey out of the midnight of my soul.’ What are some of your defining moments?

5) Cherish God’s Word, With Intentionality After getting injured on the battlefield, the soldiers took great risk to recover Doss’s Bible that he accidentally left behind. When Doss was being lowered to safety from Hacksaw Ridge in the ending scene, he was holding his Bible.

6) Find A Way To Forgive!. Intent on wanting to see Doss kicked out of the Army, Captain Glover later finds it in his heart to swallow his pride and ask for forgiveness after witnessing Doss’s incredible act of courage. “All I saw was a skinny kid. I didn’t know who you were. You’ve done more than any other man could’ve done in the service of his country. Now, I’ve never been more wrong about someone in my life, and I hope one day you can forgive me.”

7) Have The Courage To Stand! Let your faith inspire others. We must somehow find the courage to stand our ground, stay true to what we believe and never forget that it’s God’s opinion we should value over the world’s. Doss couldn’t live with himself if he compromised on his beliefs, and likewise our faith should be so important to us that we too would rather suffer the anger of the world than give up on what we believe. Think about it, if Doss compromised his convictions and let his faith crumble, 75 men would not have made it off that cliff. While people may jeer at you, the respect they will have when you don’t give in…will be immeasurable. We need more men (and women) to armor up and stand firm in their faith and wave the banner of Jesus Christ no matter what comes at them!

8) The World Needs Authentic Leadership! I’m talking about courageous leadership that leads out in front. Even though Doss didn’t believe in killing another person, he had a burning desire to enlist in the Army. He didn’t want to stay behind while others were sacrificing for him. Authentic leaders don’t run or stay behind when there’s evil or danger to confront…they run right at it to protect others. Doss said, “I’m prepared to give my life for my men.”

9) Trust God, Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense. When life throat punches us or when we find ourselves in difficult situations, let Doss’s unwavering faith be a vivid reminder to us. Not sure you’ve figured this out yet, but God often allows us to experience the full force of life because He wants us to learn how to trust in Him completely. He wants us to give Him our worries, our desires, our sadness, our happiness, our hearts, our entire lives…so He can transform it into something for good. Your response to any of the trials that life throws at you will reveal what’s really inside of you and it will reveal the depth of your relationship with God! When we step into one of these narratives we have choices; we can trust our circumstance to the Lord or deal with them in our own strength and probably crash and burn.

10) Titles Are Not Important. I’m reminded of William Wallace’s quote in Braveheart, “Men don’t follow titles, they follow courage.” As Doss was preparing to face the battlefield, another medic encouraged him to lose the markings that designated him as a medic because the Japanese on Okinawa were specifically targeting medics. With that wisdom, Doss took off the white fabric identifying him as a medic and he also picked up a different helmet so the enemy wouldn’t know what he was. How many times do we struggle and fight for a title because we want recognition? Doss’s example shows us that we will better serve those we’re leading by stripping away our title and serving with them – side by side!

I could keep going, but let me bring it all back in.

While there is so much turmoil in our world today, I am reminded that there is a God who pierces through the darkness of all the dust and fire. There is threshing floor where God meets us, deals with us and where our prayers can make a difference. Doss is a man, who believed that he was called to lay down his life for his friends (and even his enemies) because he was pursuing a higher cause. He was a man showed us that there is a way through the messiness of life and personalities of people to rise above our differences for the greater good. He was a man that also served as an example of the power of one man’s faith in the midst of a world that is turning its back on God.

Hacksaw Ridge is a film that’s so needed for today.