Whether you think this war justified or not, necessary or not, is not my concern. Each of us is entitled to our opinion on the subject (however little or much knowledge we may have). I have zero interest in those opinions. I want to talk about realities. If you are celebrating war and cheering it on, I have some questions for you.
Have you ever crouched in a hallway of your home, with your wife and little children, while bullets repeatedly hit the house and the sound of gunfire continued nonstop, as soldiers pillaged the homes of your neighbors? Have you ever run through live gunfire, along with your wife and your youngest in her arms, while tracer bullets streaked over your heads? Have you ever felt that terror? Have you ever experienced post traumatic stress disorder (before you knew a name for it and there was no one to help you process or understand it) for months, wondering If you’d ever feel normal again? Have you jumped, heart in your throat, at the sound of a ballon popping or a door slamming, and broken out in a cold sweat? Have you ever had your life so completely up-ended and altered that you lay awake in the middle of the night, wondering what kind of future you could possibly have now, wrestling with grief and despair? Have you ever been hanging by a thread, mentally and emotionally, trying with all your might to hold it together and act normal for the sake of your kids, because their lives have been up-ended too, and you want them to feel safe and secure, but sometimes you fail miserably? Have you felt the shame of that on top of the trauma and grief?
And that wasn’t even full-on war, just a few days of mayhem and violence that changed our lives forever. It’s likely you haven’t experienced those things. Those who have lived through such things usually don’t have a ‘let the bombs fall’ attitude.
Have you ever sat with people who live and work in a war zone, who have experienced repeated drone strikes in those places, who live in that daily uncertainty, or talked with those who have tried to save friends — whose bodies were ripped apart by bomb shrapnel — but they couldn’t save them? Have you sat and listened to their stories, understood the ways they struggle to keep going, to maintain balance in an environment of war? Well, have you?
If you haven’t experienced those things, or had any meaningful conversations with those who have, but now you are celebrating this war, then that’s what I wish for you – all the things I just described (inadequately I know): the uncertainty, the heart-in-your-throat fear, the heartbreaking loss of family, community, home and possessions, an unknown future, the status of a refugee, the cold sweats and panic attacks – all the personal ravages of war experienced by those who somehow survive it. But that would be cruel, which is my point. I don’t honestly wish that kind of harm for anyone — even if you’re a hard-hearted jerk — because I know God doesn’t wish that for you either. What I really wish is that you could understand these things, what war actually means for those involved. But you have no way to understand, and it’s not your fault. So… what I honestly wish, is that you would sit down and be quiet. And if you call yourself a Christian, that you would pray for God’s mercy on all those impacted by this war, on every side of the conflict. Please, at least do that, and for God’s sake, don’t celebrate it.
Are there bad actors that should be stopped? Of course. Will this war stop them? It might, and others will take their place, and they will also need to be stopped somehow. But mostly, there are multitudes of ordinary people who just want to live their lives, like you want to live yours, in peace and security. And children. Children whose childhoods are being destroyed, whose little nervous systems are being hardwired to be anxious, always on guard, hypervigilant. Children whose hope for the future is being dismantled, whose belief in any kind of goodness is being shattered, and who will forever expect bad things to happen — even if they survive the bombs. If nothing else, pray for the children.
Know This Love 