So obviously what is happening in Ukraine is tragic. On one hand, with a real war splashed across every news screen, with inflation and gas prices rising rapidly, it seems kind of ridiculous to work on sorting socks and giving away homeschool material as described in the last post.
But...
I can't do anything about Ukraine except pray, and I have been.
I can't fix the high gas prices. I can worry, but that doesn't help anything.
I have long been prone to anxiety so I have learned not to feed it by focusing heavily on scary news. I do look at headlines and I do pray, but I don't deep dive into information that will just make me afraid and unable to function well.
I have important jobs at home to be a good wife and mother. The children need to be educated, and the meals need to be made, and so on, and so forth.
I am a believer in Jesus Christ. I am an evangelical Christian who believes the Bible is true (though there are plenty of spots which can be interpreted as being symbolic, like Revelations and some of the prophecies. Anyway...)
One of the things I struggle with is evil in the world. So many people suffering from illness and persecution, from war and even genocide.
I think this is a common struggle for people. There are those who have concluded atheism is the only reasonable response, with their argument being that if there was a God, He would make sure people wouldn't suffer so much.
Well, I know there is a God. I know it. Intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, physically, I know there is a Creator God.
The universe is just stupid, you know? I mean stupid in the sense of being ridiculous. The physical constants are just right to allow for large, intelligent life like us. I mean, the constants are so finely tuned that there is no way it just happened by chance.
I believe in the Big Bang, and it is ridiculous too. So finely tuned to allow for a universe where an Earth that supports humans can exist.
Not to mention that the Big Bang includes a ton of material in a tiny volume which then exploded, and where did that material come from? Time started at some point. At some point, the universe didn't exist. So where did all that material come from without the Hand of God?
(For more information on this, Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel describes these issues.)
I have heard more than one person say things like:
1. I would never believe in a God who allows children to die from wars or starvation or illness.
2. I would never believe in a God who sends people to hell.
3. I would never believe in a God who says that extramarital sex is sinful.
And so on.
Here's the thing, we don't have to believe in God. God gave us free will.
But we have very small brains compared to a Creator who made an entire galaxy.
I don't like the reality of Hell. I don't like kids dying.
But, I also know that I have a very limited perspective. I am not God. He is the King, and whatever He says, goes. (That is a quote from the Veggietales Esther, which I find hilarious in the movie. But TRUTH!)
As I've pontificated about before, cultures get wacky easily. I was reading this week about the Last Emperor of China, who was yanked away from his parents at age 2 to be the new Emperor, or the new heir to the Emperor. Something. Since he was Emperor (or the heir), no one could tell him no. Seriously had any of those people ever seen a toddler? If there is one thing a toddler needs, it is someone to tell him NO! Like, if he grabs a knife, or climbs on top of a tall cupboard, or whatever.
Apparently his wet nurse was the only person who could control him.
The man was a total sadist as an adult, though I think he did repent of many of his actions at the end of his life. But he was horribly mean to his servants.
How did the Chinese culture get to the point where they thought yanking a toddler from his family, and never giving him discipline, and making him into some sort of god, was a good idea?
Wow.
So Jesus is God incarnate, and He came to earth in the womb of Mary, and he grew up and he taught and he healed and then he DIED.
Unpleasantly. Crucifixion is a horrible way to die. The Old Testament of the Bible, which was the First Covenant, required animal sacrifice to wash away sin. Jesus was the final sacrifice. I think that the blood debt would have been paid if they had just chopped his head off, which isn't a bad way to die. Crucifixion is terrible.
There is a lot more to unpack here but it helps me to realize that for all the pain and suffering in this world, Jesus experienced pain and suffering as well to save me, to save the people He loves, from our sins.
So yes, there is a great war in Ukraine and people are dying. I grieve over it. God does too. Why doesn't He just leap in and fix it? No idea. But I AM NOT GOD. I submit to the reality that I don't see the big picture.
For now, I will pray, and I will ask God to give me guidance, and I will do my work at home, and yes, I will write books, and I will read fun books, and I will take pleasure in life.
God bless you, Ukraine. And God bless you, Russia. I have no doubt many people are totally opposed to this war in Russia. It is sad for both countries' people.
