Well it is finally here, the movie that everyone has been waiting for, and though I did not see it opening day, I did not hesitate to watch it in the first weekend. Infinity War was filled with everything that you would expect from a massive Marvel movie put together by Disney. An insane amount of our favorite characters saving the world from a mad being with an obscene amount of power! And let’s be real, Disney nailed it. They have been building to this point for so long with the character development and growth, and with so many characters, you would think that they may overdo it, or that you wouldn’t feel connected to the characters. But somehow, Disney did it.

But surprisingly, I did not simply walk away from this movie like I have other movies thinking, “Wow, that movie was pretty good.” No I walked away from this movie with something so much deeper, so much more real than a couple hours of entertainment. What I walked away with is something that I have been holding onto and fostering for years, but this movie shows it, and magnifies it immensely.

CAUTION: there will be spoilers in the reminder of this article, enter at your own risk.

Infinity War is filled with emotion. Honest to goodness, you will laugh, cry, and contemplate the reality of the Universe around us. But there was one moment that not only tugged on my heart strings, but ripped my heart from my chest and flooded me with an unparalleled emotion. I am not a father, but I cannot imagine the pain of sacrificing your own daughter. Let’s take a quick look at Thanos. He is faced with a decision: risk not accomplishing his goal to “cure” the universe, or sacrifice the only one he loves, Gamora. Well, he chooses his own selfish desires over the needs of Gamora. In that scene, Thanos, while crying, grabs Gamora and throws her to her death as a sacrifice for one of the Infinity Stones. The emotion of that scene is unlike that of any other movie that I think I have ever seen.

Why was it so emotional for me? Because it really got me thinking; what kind of monster do you have to be to sacrifice your own daughter’s life for your own selfish agenda? What could possibly be so important that it is worth the destruction of that soul, and the fall of everything that life stands for? From the movie perspective it is simple. Why would Thanos value life, when his entire purpose is to destroy life to “save” the universe? He is clearly a monster, and what is one more life?

If you have seen the movie, you know how it ends (so far). Thanos wins, and half of the universe is destroyed. So why fight to stop it? Why on earth would you work so hard to defend something that doesn’t have value? Well, that is where the Avengers come in! Captain America says something amazing, “We do not trade lives!” The Avengers fight because life has value. In the Marvel Universe, all life is worth saving. All life is worth dying for.

But what about in the real universe? What about in America today? Are we willing to stand like the Avengers (who we all seem to revere) and stand for life? Let me ask you another question. What are we willing to sacrifice a life for? For the Avengers, nothing! Not even the life of Vision was worth sacrificing to save the universe until it was the final option. Whereas Thanos is willing to sacrifice the life of his daughter for his own comfort.

I am going to ask another tough question. What would you be willing to sacrifice a life for? Is there anything in your life that you would be willing to give the life of a loved one to receive or accomplish? I would hope the answer would be no. But let’s look at our track record, shall we?

In 197s, we allowed for Roe V. Wade to effectively legalize abortion. Abortion is the sacrificing of a human life for what we value most: comfort, financial stability, rights, free choice. So let me ask you this, who is worse, us or Thanos? While watching the Avengers, part of the emotional roller coaster is actually seeing how Thanos is not just crazy (which he is), but for some reason, he truly believes in what he is doing to improve the universe as a whole. Now let’s take our situations. We sacrifice life to improve our lives as a whole. We want to improve our own quality of life, and so we sacrifice our daughters and our sons to make that happen.

Now it is really easy to sit here and think, “Yeah those people are awful, killing babies for themselves.” WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!! There would not be an Infinity War Pt. 2 if it were not for the people who took a stand to defend life. Why does it become so clear in a movie that everyone agrees what the Avengers are doing is right, but we are so slow to defend lives in our own nation? Are you kidding me? How many more babies have to be sacrificed and their remains turned to dust for us to understand that LIFE HAS VALUE?

If the Avengers had done nothing to try and prevent Thanos from getting the Infinity Stones, the outcome would have been on them (#AntMan). Men and Women have been refusing to take a stand for the lives of our sons and daughters who are sacrificed to our gods of comfort and ease. That is unacceptable. And what is worse, we are callused to it. We have become numb to the fact that in 42 years, we have sacrificed almost 60 million children to these selfish desires, and now we do not even shed a tear. Thanos even could not hold back a tear as he threw his own daughter off of a cliff for his own selfish desires. So I ask again, who is worse? The one who sacrifices their own child with remorse, or the one that does it with a callus and selfish heart?

There is one more sacrifice that is almost made. The Scarlet Witch uses her power to sacrifice the one she loves (Vision) in an attempt to save the world. When that sacrifice is made, the emotion is very different than the one that was made with Gamora. The entire audience knew that that single sacrifice could save the universe. Well I know of a sacrifice just like that, only the resurrection of this sacrifice had a happier ending.

Two thousand years ago, God the Father sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, to show His love for this world. And like Vision, Jesus knew that sacrifice was the only way to save the Universe. You see, God is perfect, and being perfect, only a perfect sacrifice can take on the sins of the world and bring forgiveness and redemption. Only Jesus rose again, He did not die at the hands of His enemies to receive His power, but Jesus conquered death, and He conquered the sins of the world. Even the sins of genocide in the United States of America.

Unlike Vision, Jesus is alive. Unlike the Avengers, Jesus overcame defeat. Unlike Thanos, Jesus does not need a gauntlet. Unlike Disney, Jesus is a real hero who saved the Universe. Because Jesus is alive, and death has been defeated, YOUR life has value. Having value, God desires a personal relationship with you that is possible because of the sacrifice that He made for us in love. All you have to do is believe.

God is not pleased when a nation unjustly destroys 60 million of the people whom He loves, but in God’s mercy, He is giving us time to repent. Give up our selfishness and turn to Jesus, and together let’s all stand for life.

For more information on what Dare Ministries is doing to stand for life, Click Here. 

Photo Credits: http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/avengers-infinity-war/271771/avengers-infinity-war-thanos-black-order-explained