War, Life, and Death

I have often stated that I hate this world.  Human beings are really good at treating each other badly. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is as much an example of this as was the Invasion of Iraq by the US led coalition where over 4,300 civilians died.  So far, in the Ukrainian invasion, just under 500 civilians have lost their lives.  So, as I said, I do not like this world.

Here in the United States, as in other places, people simply live their lives.  The cycles are common.  Parents work hard to raise their families.  Many children grow into a rebellious phase between 13 and 25 years old before merging into the world of working for a living, where they soon become the next set of parents.  People go to college, start businesses, or join the civil service, or simply get a job.  We are entertained by sports and movies and mega stars, while others create art or local music based on their heart, not for fame or wealth. Still, others fight for causes, serve the community, and try to do good.  It's just life - clothes, food, shelter, enjoyment, peace, and the desire to accomplish a few things in life -you know, "do something good, feel something real." 

I'm convinced that what is transcendent about life is derived by an honest study of the Christian Bible.  The perspective and picture of reality one can extract from the four Gospels, the letters and the other accounts recorded therein really do paint a picture of the pain and anguish in this life, with the hope of an eternity that will be much better.  Where there are some good things in life to be sure, the cycle and pattern is consistent, birth, hopefully do many things, and die.  We all - prayerfully - will get 70, 80 or even 100 years on this planet, years filled with ups and downs, joys and sorrows, success and failure.

Atheistic worldview's can't logically anchor any absolutes for many real aspects of this life, including love, family, good, and evil - only that for the betterment of society and to continue our existence, we should care for each other and not try to kill each other... which of course war tries to do!

In fact, I just received a note from a friend who received a text from Ukraine. I have edited this down and removed any identifying information - it was originally translated into English from Russian and I changed it a little more to distance it from the original note the the message is the same:

Good evening, Please pray for us. You can’t imagine what it's like here. Our family is in a church building... By the grace of God we are alive…The city has been wiped off the face of the earth… It is completely destroyed; there is no electricity… there is no gas…. The gas pipeline was blown up.... There is no water….Shops are smashed and looted…Bombs have fallen just a few meters from the church, windows are blown out – but we are alive. … People have nowhere to live… corpses lie in the streets….By God’s grace they fed us twice in the church… Yesterday for the first time during this whole ordeal were able to bathe our children….May the Lord give the rulers wisdom and may they come to an agreement…. We don’t know how long we can live like this…. But God is with us and He is strong.

This is awful - it's terrible.  I have personally never had to endure anything like war where my entire community was physically destroyed.  This is what mankind does to each other!  Yet, notice the faith and hope in the text message.  Sure - my non-believing friends can chalk this up to a survival mechanism, but I think this person's faith is authentic.  This is and example of the transcendent aspects of life that reflect reality, a reality that is derived from the pages of scripture.  This allows you to acknowledge the dark side of reality while hoping for change in this life as well as the next.  To be sure, there is the frustration of wondering "where is God?"  I get that and I do not claim to have any simplistic answers.  As I've said, I am not and have not ever experienced anything like war.

This faith not a belief in some kind of virtual reality, but the actual reality,  the reality of war, life, and death.  Yet, this faith transcends all of this world, ultimately with a hope that goes beyond this life where justice is served perfectly. This faith explains that those who perpetuate the the man-made disasters that result from war will be held accountable; the results of famine, the millions of escaping refugees, the broken and destroyed lives, the billions of dollars of destroyed infrastructure and property. You see, if the God of the Bible does not exists, there is no justice.  As it is written, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Cor 15:19).

So, if you are reading this and you believe in God at all, then please pray for Ukraine and for Russia.  Pray for the soldiers and the leaders - that they can turn to God and end this war, stop the bloodshed and begin to rebuild.  It's amazing how much can be destroyed in less than two weeks, and yet it takes years to rebuild.  If you have questions about Christianity, feel free to ask in a comment below, or send me a note:  fullerming at gmail dot com. (you have to put it together!)