Any Thread of Hope?

I suppose I could write a blog about the love of Jesus, worship, and proclaim that he always desires the best for us. And that would be good and true. But given the turmoil in the world right now, we can’t ignore the interface demanded between faith and these desperate and violent situations. This is a topic I have wrestled with much of my life, raised in the crossfire of tension between White and Black in Southern Africa.

I’ve visited a kibbutz in Galilee and had dinner in the home of a hospitable Palestinian family in Jerusalem. When we meet the people we discover so much more in common than the extremists desiring to destroy and kill. Consequently I’ve never been anti any nation or tribe; the fact is that within every nation there resides the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then I read of a honeymoon couple killed randomly by terrorists in Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda) a few days ago. I was there some years back, it could easily have been me.

Often the spiritual theory and the abstract application of truth is so much easier than the actual living. Life is messy, cluttered with curve balls that demand responses, invariably immediately, and what does one do? This is an exceedingly sensitive and difficult topic to speak to. So many emotions, perhaps blind spots, genuine ignorance, and angles spinning that make truth without bias hard to find. We probably all have embedded beliefs or viewpoints that may be hard to dislodge from the solid bedrock of ‘what I’ve always thought.’

Which is what makes conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, and no doubt many other scenarios, tough. It’s like, I declare myself a pacifist, until someone threatens or even attacks a family member beside me. I automatically rush to their defense, rather than standing aside, and true to my declaration, witness their mugging or death at the hands of another. “I was praying,” is surely not enough in such circumstances? What did I do to resist, overcome, even defeat the one perpetrating the crime?

In this example, as a professed pacifist I am declaring my worldview, perhaps spiritual beliefs, and certainly my preference to live in a world absent of violence as a means of accomplishing any agenda or purpose. However, if I’m provoked or attacked, I may reluctantly have to use whatever force is necessary to stand my ground or to defend what is being threatened, if I can. Such a response would seem reasonable, even responsible. As we are all aware, theory is invariably satisfying to advocate for, or theorize upon, until it is put to the test. That’s when it becomes messy.

In both the case of Ukraine and Israel, imperfect though both countries are, as am I, violent attack was initiated by another in order to overpower, occupy, subjugate, and even annihilate. If no resistance is offered we are left in a world where violence, bullying, power, corruption, and brute force are allowed to run rampant with no consequence. There is never justification for barbaric cruelty, torture, rape, dismemberment, and atrocities that defy belief. The face and character of evil without makeup. Humanity unleashed, back to God, Lord of the Flies.

But Jesus did not call down his angels to defend him and overcome the evil of Rome and his crucifixion. No he did not, but perhaps he was fighting a cosmic battle far greater than that which meets the eye. No point in victory in a small skirmish that leads to defeat in the larger conflict.

To make matters even more complicated, what do we do when the perpetrator deliberately uses innocent civilians as shields behind which their activities and resources are hidden? The gauntlet is tossed down with contempt: “To get to me you’ll have to sacrifice them. I dare you!” It’s an awful dilemma with no winners. My opponent’s modus operandi is to sucker punch me in that soft underbelly where I want to protect the innocent at any price; whereas he/she don’t really care. They are expendable if it serves their purpose. Unfortunately we are left damned if we do, and damned if we don’t.

I consider all of this as I ponder Israel’s dilemma. I have travelled throughout that nation and it is small and extremely vulnerable. How would I respond if my neighbor made it abundantly clear that I was not welcome next door. Not only that, they publicly declare that their goal is to eventually seize my property and to kill everyone who occupies it. They are outspoken and unashamed, for them to live and thrive requires that I die. Meanwhile, under the guise of peaceful co-existence, instead of financing economic growth for their families they accumulate weapons and arms and dig tunnels to prepare to fulfil their stated intent. Or, in Russia’s case, deciding what kind of nation I should be and whom I should pay allegiance to, non-negotiable, all on big brother’s terms. There could be all manner of variations on this theme providing awkward history and context.

While my conclusion is one I want to avoid, there is only one option that I cannot embrace, doing nothing. I am forced to reluctantly gather myself and my resources, and to resist. Doing whatever it takes to counter the one who initiated the attack. I may be reluctant, but I had better be tough, as it is obvious my enemy will stop at nothing less. The messiness of my imperfect humanity guarantees that some of my responses will be inadequate, some too vicious a knee-jerk, and some incurring unintended damage and harm to those in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“But wait!” You add. “What about the bigger picture, the cause behind the cause?”

I was wondering whether someone would raise that thorny issue. I remember serving in the South African army during the conscription era. “You’ve got to be prepared,” said the Staff Sergeant on a hill in semi-desert. “The communists are coming.” To which my inner voice replied. “Of course they are. We are creating the seedbed of discontent within the country with such gross inequality under apartheid.” In other words we are creating the conditions where some feel so helpless that they resort to violent resistance because their is no other pathway open, other than submission and subservience.

This is where support becomes qualified, perhaps tentative. Because I know that historically, Israel has not been gracious to Palestinians. In order to occupy their traditional land, have they, as holocaust survivors, gone out of their way to find a solution for Palestinians? Or have they acted in such a manner as to cause a gradual desensitization and growing sense of frustration that has enabled a fanatical group like Hamas to exploit such discontent? I raise the question to ponder without having an answer. Nothing is ever clear cut, black or white, without grey and confusing elements. That’s the challenge. No nation on earth stands pure without skeletons or sin.

It is not a crime to disagree, or to question, or to require a reason.

And where is God in all of this? As stated in earlier blogs, shaking his head and weeping over his creation. Not in weakness, nor at a loss to know what to do, but tragically sad at the damage we wreak among ourselves. We have rejected him, taken the world into our own hands, and preferred to place our faith in our wisdom, religion, power structures, and our way of working things out, or not. We are in perpetual denial; human nature is not evolving into a better version of what we once were. We have the same struggles and tendencies to self-interest, power, affluence, and independence as the generations that have gone before us. More sophisticated toys in the hands of the same willful kids.

The bigger picture challenge is how do we listen and make room for those with whom we disagree? If we build walls then we share responsibility when someone on the other side gets so fed up they blow it apart. We are either part of the problem or share in finding solutions that can be embraced by all parties concerned. We have to stop listening to the sound of our own voices and consider others as well. Cease having answers for the other party without listening – we know how that works as individuals.

That’s my rationale for a qualified, tentative, support of Israel and Ukraine against Hamas and Russia. I accept the inconsistencies and imperfections, and I detest bullies. My support does not mean that there are no limits. It does mean that retribution must be in proportion to the threat, and that the responses should never be cruel or exceed what defense demands. It’s more a case of reluctantly doing what needs to be done until the threat is removed and overcome. And then it will still require listening in order to heal and create a brighter future so that there is not another, and another, and another…..

Lord God I declare you as Lord of every nation, every tribe, and every circumstance.

I will not hate the Jew, the Palestinian, or anyone of any culture that is not my own

I will not give evil a foothold to cause me to lose hope or to be overcome by fear

Have mercy on us O Lord, change hearts, renew minds, give sight to the blind, and let the deaf hear

Overcome hatred with love, unforgiveness with forgiveness, indifference with compassion

Let your Kingdom come, and your will be done

On this broken and bloodied earth today, as it is in heaven.

If you want a break from evil and need reminding that God is more powerful, is at work around the world, and releasing love and hope in every culture and nature, listen to ‘The Blessing’. Listen to recordings from diverse cultures and look at the faces and the people and see the human beings. The Blessing is a declaration of war over evil and will ultimately prevail.