It’s been some time since I saw the first Taken movie but I remember parts of it very well. In the movie, Liam Neeson plays a Dad whose daughter is taken and trafficked in the sex slave trade. This Dad also happens to have a “particular set of skills” as a former CIA operative. In the movie, Bryan Mills (played by Liam) daughter is taken while on vacation in France. He spends the rest of the movie trying to find his daughter and single-handedly dismantling this human trafficking ring. What makes this movie stand out to me above all the other iterations of this franchise is the fight against human trafficking.
Every act of violence against these human traffickers is a guilty pleasure to watch. The conditions that are depicted for these girls are gruesome but the real-life story is even more gruesome. When I see this movie, something rises up in me and says, “That’s just not right!” Whether it’s abortion or starving kids or human trafficking there is something inside that says, “That’s not right” and causes you to have a holy discontentment or holy anger against it. Whatever you call this feeling, it has a place in our Christian life.
David had it (on multiple occasions) read Psalm 139:19-22. Sounds like his anger might be getting out of hand? Jesus had it. Not just the time he overturned tables and whipped people (in today’s language that would be assault and battery). He was also angry at the Sadducees when he healed a man in Mark 3:1-5,
Finally, the scripture that says it all, Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin, do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” One version says, BE ANGRY! and Do not Sin. So clearly anger has a purpose. The purpose is a passion for God’s will. This isn’t the same anger you have when you see a frenemy with a new car or a new job. That’s envy.
Test yourself. If you’re angry about something does it spur you on to do something about it? To pray? or to Complain? One is righteous anger, the other might require repentance.
Whether you want to have a missional business or simply looking for causes to support, this holy discontentment is the clue. There are a lot of things that will break your heart. We’re called to care for orphans, widows and disenfranchised. We should care deeply for those that have been marginalized by society. That being said there is likely one group or location that really pulls your heart.
For me, I’m passionate about what a business can do to change a person’s life. I’m extremely passionate about getting those that are successful and connecting them to their causes. I also have a very special place in my heart for the country of Cambodia. Do I want to help those in Africa, South America or Europe? Absolutely. However, when I dream, the people I dream of helping are Khmer.
I also am very passionate about the Family and the problems surrounding Fatherlessness. I believe many of the problems in my country stem from a lack of ACTIVE Fathers
I share all of this because many times people will ask me, “how do I find a mission or my mission?” What breaks your heart and God’s? Often there are life experiences that draw these out. For some of you, it will be human trafficking or the plight of the farmer in South America or inner city youth.
For me, I am married to a Khmer woman and I come from a divorced home. My heart’s response to business doesn’t come from any other place than God.
Once you have some semblance of your mission you can endeavor to integrate that into what you’re doing. If you own your own company you can begin thinking not just in terms of money but also logistics. If you’d like to read more about this, check out my post about Coca-Cola and how they could end world thirst.
