War

This was part of the group - Letters to my Children, but I decided not to include it. May reconsider this.

War is the forcing of a puzzle piece.

You know there is a war going on in Ukraine. The Russian leadership is describing the war to their own people falsely. Saying it is a ‘special military operation’ and not a war, they hide from their people the destruction that they are doing in Ukraine. Many of the leaders and their followers have come to believe these lies so they can’t turn back from the evil that they are doing. When the people see the damage and the dead, perhaps that will tell them to change their minds about Mother Russia and her false selfies and then they will refuse to follow where their leaders are taking them. The leaders of Russia and their soldiers will have to face the crimes that they have done and their consequences also.

Will they turn of their own accord to face their crimes or will they be forced to turn? Does God force puzzle pieces?

As the preacher says:

And further I saw, under the sun, the place of judgment. Heading there was the wicked. And the place of the righteous. Heading there was the wicked. I myself said in my heart, This God will judge the righteous one and the wicked one, for the time for every delight and concerning every particular deed there.

And I saw that there is no good but that the earthling should be glad through its deeds for this is its share, for who will make it come to see into what is that will be after it?

What hope is there that both the righteous and the wicked are heading to judgment? What hope is there in the face of increasing disorder? - the second law of thermodynamics (which I didn’t explain). These questions seem related. But neither judgment is 'everlasting' in a temporal sense since time is limited on both ends and its limitations are so far distant from us that they are irrelevant to the problem of living together. So why do we care and tell the truth and keep promises? Why do we want the puzzle to be complete - without forcing?

How astonishing that such a thought should even exist!

Where is this place of judgment that is "under the sun"?

I myself have learned to pray. I would not be here today if I had not taken up conversation with this mysterious God who is, who was, and who is to come. Prayer is instant and easy and continuous. To start, just ‘turn your heart’, the depth of who you are, to this God who cares for you. It’s a very slight turn. Suppose you were inside and you wanted to see the park. You could just open the curtains. It’s that easy. You will find that this God makes everything new. Surprising.

Prayer hooks us into an alternate reality, more real than what we imagine. I am still convinced that the gifts of life are good and I can be thankful for them. Thank-you is also a prayer.

Here is something I read about recently concerning the war and connecting truth to prayer: Truth is energy. It is the energy which ‘converts’, which sparks the compunction that can lead to repentance. It is the ‘engine’ of prayer.

I don’t use those words compunction or repentance, but I know them. Compunction is realizing that we have done wrong. It is associated with a feeling of guilt, but not necessarily remorse, or a feeling of being sorry for what you have done. Repentance is the act of turning away from the actions and thoughts that have caused the problem. Turning away is a necessary thing, but who gives the power to turn away if we have not turned towards a power that is greater than our desires?

When we turn (also known as repent for what I think are slippery reasons) we turn to God who has the power to keep us safe. Or you can think of the word conscience. A healthy conscience does not stop at guilt but takes action to repair the damage. 

It's one thing for an individual to imagine turning from evil and towards God - but how will a nation do this without imploding into its own destruction? 

If we look at the destruction that has been happening over the last 3000 years we will see that we never have understood the God we are dealing with.

Till the next letter ...