I pray for that kind of patience and perserverance. Unknown/Unlikely Heroes

In the special features, which are exceptional, I got the picture that the Bielski brothers were just normal Belorussians. They were uneducated laborers who had no military background, but when called upon they rose to the occasion. These men led 1,200 people to live and defend themselves in the forest even though Hitler's Nazis were looking for them for two years. They led these people even through infighting.

The amazing thing is they never asked for any recognition. Throughout the movie you can see the struggle Tuvia has wondering why everyone is following him. In the extra features, it shows the Belski children and grandchildren coming to grips with who Tuvia and Zus really were... some of them had no idea.

I, on the other hand, love recognition to a fault. These men went decades without being recognized as heroes. The only person I know who is like that is Jesus, who in human terms never amounted to much. He stayed in his own country, never had a mega following, never wrote a best selling book. What he did do was die for each and every one of our sins.

Faith Strengthened
As I alluded to above, these folks went through things we can't even imagine. Along the way their faith was stretched. At one point, during a funeral, one of them asks God to choose another people! Yet in the end, that same person professes faith again with his dying breath. Many who go through so much struggle and suffering come out with so much faith, much like that character.

Yet I find myself praying for safety, comfort, and ease. I wonder why my faith is lacking.

I often wonder why so many movies like Defiance and Valkyrie about the Nazi regime and those who would stand up against it are coming out. Is it a history lesson for those of us that did not live through that time? Is it a harbinger of things to come? I don't know... but I do know that I admire the group, led by the Bielskis, that persevered, ended up heroic survivors, and gained amazing faith in such trying circumstances

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