Working Moms

I sometimes cringe at Mother's Day and Father's Day sermons; usually Father's Day, but Mother's Day can also last on the guilt. "The superior mom is a stay-at-home mom. 

Proverbs 31 disagrees. More on this when I have a few minutes. 

I am a child

I wrote this a while back. The date isn't relevant. I feel the concepts are.

***********

I am a child

I am a child. I sit with my mother, in the dank walls of a bomb shelter. Above ground, my father carries a weapon. He works hard to defend me. Those were his last words before he kissed me goodbye - "I will fight for you... always." All I know is that I want my daddy's arms. I hear the muffled blast of bombs overhead; the crashes of buildings falling; and even though I clap my hands over my ears, I hear the screams of people dying, always dying, never silent - even in my sleep. In my dreams, Father looks up with one terrified glance before his screams push him into death; and then he rises again... and fights... and dies.. and fights... and dies... and fights... and dies. My dreams never end. 

My mother holds me close. I know it is both for her comfort and mine. I also understand that she has carefully positioned herself so that if any danger enters our shelter, I will live and she might not. I try hard not to cry. My mother needs me. But how can I not cry? 

I must be brave. 

I cannot be brave.

I must have hope.

How can I have hope when every screaming sound of war smashes what little hope I have left? A million times a day, my hope Is shattered.

And boiling deep inside my heart is a growing, seething hatred for the enemy who is bent on destroying us.

I am a child. I listen. I learn. Now I know whom to love and whom I should hate. It is all so clear now. 

I will fight someday. I will take up arms. I will destroy the enemy. This is now my dream. I sleep in my mother's embrace and dream of taking up arms to defend my mother, my family, my home, my country, my world view. I hear the screams of the filthy enemy - only to look at the last moment and see my father's face dying at the end of my weapon. In a fleeting second, and only for that second, horrifying clarity flashes through my tormented mind. We are all somebody's enemy. 

I am a Jew. I am Palestinian. I am Ukrainian. I am Russian. I am Syrian. I am Sudanese. I am a child from every war ravaged home.

I am a child.

I am a child. I sit on the floor with my stacks of Lego. My creativity amasses worlds never before imagined. Or have they?

I appear to be oblivious to everything going on around me. One piece connects to the other, connects to another, then another, until I have a glorious kingdom built. All around me the adults chatter on, and on, and on. It is such a boring conversation.

They're waging wars with words, sharing strategies with their comrades in big people terms;

• Like politics... Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, climate initiatives, economic reform, and countless other current events;

• Like war initiatives... bombing raids, ground invasions, stealth attacks... 

• And how this side or that side is clueless, or horrid, or brilliant, or really the only one that knows what's going on. 

I play with my Lego. This newly created being smashes the other. The big, the powerful, the better... That character always wins. Those fortresses are impenetrable. The enemy's little "strongholds" are fragile. They crumble with barely a breath. They belong to the wrong political party, the aggressor in this war, the "dumb person" that doesn't know how to run a country, the awful kid who is my enemy at school, or the sibling who took that crucial piece of Lego... again...

I am a child. I play. I hear; I might not listen, but I hear. I know whom to love. I know whom to hate.

I rehearse my role as an adult. When I grow up, I will conquer kingdoms, establish strength, and be the hero my family, my town, my country, my world needs. The enemy's fortresses will fall, and mine will become forever stronger.

I love to play. I settle problems with my imagination. I hear - and I will be the one to win. 

I am a child.

My Personal Response

Two countries I love are locked in what is still largely a war of *words. A trade war is being fought by political leaders on both sides. Some people are fearful of a full scale military war. 

I will not say that either country is better. Both are wonderful countries with potential for astounding good in the world. Both countries have serious problems that need to be rectified - but I recognize they will never fully be resolved.

Here’s my response. As a Christian, I have to say that my first and constant goal should be to reflect Christ. Christians in both countries will interpret that in a multitude of ways. The lessons I've learned from Christians in war-torn regions, many of whom are persecuted, come to mind. I hope and pray I'm reading the Bible accurately when I mention passages in the following discussion.

1. Pray - Whatever my political views, they are to always take a back seat to the preeminence of God and His will. I pray that He will glorify Himself; not me, not a political leader, not any political view, not my specific spiritual leader, friend, husband, child… only Him. I want my goal to be that “...in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever” (1 Peter 4:11 ESV). On both sides of the border, or within any other national border, there is one God. What is His will for the furtherance of His kingdom? I need to pray for that. 

2. Search scripture without an agenda - When a crisis is at hand, I might be tempted to scour the Word of God looking for an answer to my specific situation. Who's right? Who's wrong? What's the truth here? Is it possible that God has something to say about my heart, about my current stage of spiritual growth, or about those in my life who need Him - and it has nothing to do with the political landscape? 

3. Be pleasing to Him - Holiness above all. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 ESV)

4. Pursue fellowship across the border - When war broke out in... well, I'm not sure it matters... believers on both sides asked for prayer that they would continue to work together and be a light for Christ in deeply dark times, and a refuge for the weary and broken. I trust that disagreements and conflicts will not rob us of unity in Christ.

5. Seek the peace and prosperity of the place where I live - Making sure I define those terms by God's standard, I am to work toward this. It applies to each person wherever we are, regardless of how trapped or superior we feel. (Reminder - I'm referring to both sides here.) A letter was written to the Israelites who were in exile (Jeremiah 29:4-9). If it's true of people who were torn from their homes in discipline for their sins, wouldn't the same be true in these two great nations? So whose peace and prosperity takes priority in God's mind? Neither. Both. It can get pretty dicey when encountering those with whom we disagree. What does it look like if both sides enjoy that blessing?

6. Rest - I'm often reminded of Psalm 37:7. "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him....". I also remember dear Dr. Weinhauer as he leaned over the teacher's podium and looked intently at his students. "Leave it all... quietly... with God." Then, with more urgency to press this deeply on our hearts, "Leave it all... quietly... with God!" It's there, in my heart, 42 years later. 

7. Wait - I tend to think we’ll have a much better idea of what’s going to happen once it’s happened. That sounds like a ridiculous statement, and smacks of escapism. I learned many years ago from raising a disabled son that the “What if” game is a vicious beast. It’s best not to spend my time there. 

8. Allow myself some emotions - Having said what I just did, I won’t make it through the conflict devoid of emotions. I’m allowed to feel things, and I will - and do. I give myself permission to be human. I remind myself that I serve the unchanging God Who asks us to come to Him with our laments and confusion. When I think of any conflict between these two great nations, I could be overwhelmed with grief. Sometimes I am. Still, I hope I carefully choose my opinions, giving a wide berth to hatred - even toward those with whom I profoundly disagree or are hurting me. 

9. Write politicians - I'm not at any negotiating table. I have access to those who are. I will likely encourage politicians who, in my opinion, are doing a great job. If there's something that I disagree with, I hope to speak up with those decision makers who can actually speak directly to the situation.  

* This was written in February 2025 and many of the things that robbed Canadians of sleep had not actually happened. I know; “yet.” See point 7. Well, I waited, and tariffs hit on March 4. We'll see if I come back and edit this entry. 

Safety

The few of you who happen to follow my blog will notice that my journaling that can be shared publicly is going here.  Some of these will be quite short, especially if I'm short on time. This is one of those. 

Proverbs 18:10-12 (ESV)

10The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

11A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.

12Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.

(Emphasis mine.)

Riches and the bravado that can come with them is no "safe space," to use a common colloquialism of the 21st century. Whether rich or poor, threats or the lack thereof, this country or that country, our only safe refuge is in the name of the Lord. Destruction of any kind has a way of humbling us. Run to the lord. Be safe.

Get together!

I've often heard the following verse as a command to go to church so you grow spiritually. 

"...not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

It's the last half of a thought (sentence?). Here's the whole thing. 

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Encouraging one another in the Lord - that's my responsibility in meeting together. 

The church [building] in shambles

If you know our work with the Voice of the Martyrs Canada, you know we're involved in writing and publishing the weekly email called the Persecution & Prayer Alert. Jim writes it, the editing team in Ontario spiffs it up, and I find hopefully meaningful pictures. These reports are sent to people's inboxes (subscribe here) and are placed on the website, VOMCanada.com.

Some of the pictures are, of course, difficult to see - to say the least. It's especially in those moments that I pray for those who are going through that suffering, for the friends and family that are wralking with them, and for our staff members who travel to look the suffering brothers and sisters in the eyes and convince them that they are not alone. 

That small part I play - selecting the images - can be a challenge sometimes. Often, no image is available. At other times, people quite honestly don't want to see what crosses our screens. We often discuss with each other, "Would showing this be helpful?" How do you provide a visual representation of the never-ending confrontation from those who oppose the gospel? Do we provide graphic scenes of those who have been violently slaughtered? Maybe I should search for images of people crying. Protests work. Perhaps I should use images of buildings left in complete ruins. 

Teaching children faithfulness.
Photo: VOMC

I've used most of these, but there are times when I've been able to choose images that simply remind us what it means to be faithful; scenes that loudly proclaim the triumphant Christ in a setting that is all but glamourous. 

It was an email for September 5, 2024. Once again, I was trying to find an accurate picture - and was reminded of a woman who shows us that faithfulness in the heart of destruction. She's teaching Sunday School to boys and girls in a building that people have tried to destroy; people who have assumed that if they can just break down bricks, wood, and glass, they can rid themselves of those annoying Christians who say that Jesus Christ is the only way to perfect peace. What they have not yet noticed is that the Church does not consist of this temporary "stuff." The Church is built with hearts who have surrendered themselves to Christ, built on Him, the Chief Cornerstone. 

They thought the Church was in shambles. No, dear enemies for whom Christ died, we are not ruined. We are the Church. Christ is victorious. His Spirit lives within us. Destroy our buildings. Lambast us in the media. Remove our basic human rights. Tear our human dignity to shreds. Try your level best to discourage, distract, and silence us. The Church will prevail because He is our conquering King, and will be for all eternity. Many of our buildings are in shambles. The Church marches on in victory!

Satan's hands

 

Our youngest daughter and I recently went to the Passion Play in Drumheller, Alberta. There were several scenes that left a lasting impact on me, even though I've seen it before. The one that I've been giving the most thought to is the quick succession of "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" and "No, Lord! This - the death and resurrection - shall never happen to you!" In quick succession, the disciple went from hearing, "You are Peter [Stone] and on this rock [the confession of Who Christ is] I will build my Church" to "Get behind me, Satan!" I was jarred by the clash of "You are Stone" to "Get behind me, Satan!" 

I mentioned after the performance how that rattled me - and how, in this quick succession of events, we find a lesson and stern warning from our Saviour. Confess Christ as Lord, and we partner with Him in establishing the Church. Deny, downplay, or detract from the cross and resurrection, and we reach for the sinister hand of Satan himself. 

Photo: Wikipedia -
Leo and Diane Dillon (cc)

Of course, Satan seldom comes looking like the image at the beginning of this blog. C. S. Lewis portrayed our enemy well when he brought the White Witch riding up in her beautiful sleigh, offering Turkish Delight. The enemy of our souls offers an irresistible confection! It rolls across the tongue with sweet satisfaction. We can feed on this mouth watering delicacy to our heart's content - and with every bite, we flood our soul with death... and Satan laughs.

I suppose I was especially taken by the scene in the play because I've frequently been reminded of another role that Satan plays as described in Revelation 12:10 - the accuser of God's people. I have at times run headlong toward Satan, grabbed his hand, and joined in the chorus of accusations against the Body of Christ. When people from the Church hurt me, or especially my family, I am quick to recount their failings - repeatedly - but not so quick to lavish grace.

I've seen a pattern here. Borrowing from C. S. Lewis, the White Witch offers God's children that Turkish Delight in whatever form seems most desirable, and every believer has had times when we've been quick to snatch it up and gobble it down. Then we find the blame all over our selfish faces and the finger of blame pointed at us. "Look at that! What a mess! It's all over! You failed!" When that failure causes damage (what sin doesn't?), other Christians can be tempted to parrot Satan himself. "You... you... are beyond forgiveness!"

Bashing the Body of Christ and denying the power of His blood shed for sins, all in one sweeping blow - we have joined hands with our worst enemy. Jesus speaks again, "Get behind me, Satan!" Then with grace that just never ends, Christ reaches out and offers His hand. Now to release our grip on the filth that beckons and grasp the pierced hands of Jesus.