Great movements and nations have historically risen and fallen on the backs of extraordinary leaders. Think of leaders both noble and corrupt, such as: Nelson Mandela, King Moshoeshoe (Lesotho’s first King), Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Esther, Moses, Peter, Paul, Jesus, Hitler, Roman Emperors, Stalin & Osama Bin Laden. This list goes on and on of good and evil, kings and tyrants. All seem to have one thing in common: their convictions drove their action. Conviction is defined as “a firmly held belief or opinion.” Each one of these leaders defined themselves by their actions, and for each, their actions came from a place of deep conviction.
Beautiful Dream Society, too, was born out of a deep conviction: to help the hurting people of Lesotho. When that conviction drove BDS’s leaders to action, a strong movement developed to combat human trafficking in Lesotho by caring for its most vulnerable individuals – the children. The power that emerges out of action spurred on by great conviction grows more evident each day.
There is a beautiful account of the concept of conviction leading to action in the Old Testament story of a man named Nehemiah who cries about a wall. People cry at movies. My mom cries when we talk on the phone. People cry when someone passes away or when a child is born.But this guy cries about a wall. In 586 B.C., the tyrant King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the walls of Jerusalem, leaving this great city defenseless. Jerusalem stood as the pride of the Israelites, but for over 142 years the city fell into shambles. Nehemiah was serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes when his brothers showed up to tell him all they had seen. Let’s pick up here:
Nehemiah 1:3-4
“They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”
This graphic, firsthand account by his brothers completely devastated Nehemiah. He wept, he mourned, he fasted, and he prayed for days, asking God to do something about the deplorable conditions of Jerusalem. God responded by doing something through Nehemiah. Nehemiah, with the help of others worked to rebuild the walls in a total of 52 days. Nehemiah’s tears led to a deep conviction that something must be done to repair the city. I have a very simple conclusion from this: The person God uses has a burden for His people. The burden causes great conviction and great conviction leads to action.
I am reminded of the dream that started Beautiful Dream Society. The dream broke Jennifer Crow’s heart for the people of Lesotho. She felt a conviction that something must be done to serve the people and her conviction led to action. Her action has led to great outcomes: a childcare and education for orphaned children; help for women coming out of human trafficking situations; and extensive efforts nationwide in Lesotho to raise awareness about human trafficking. Each of these programs have resulted in a myriad of daily successes and triumphs over the years, all with a real, human impact.
I pray today that God will stir up deep convictions within each of us that lead to tremendous action.
-Bryan Nix, Africa Director, Beautiful Dream Society