“[a soldier] thinks about the price of war; the killing bothers him as much as the dying. ‘I wish there were another way to do this, but there’s not,’ he says, ‘Death is the only language they understand.’”
I think a few years ago, I would have said the same. I’ve struggled much in my own life with who God has created me to be and why I exist – what is my purpose. I’ve grown up in a military family traveling around the United States and even to Germany for seven years. My dad deployed to both Bosnia and Kosovo while I was growing up. And as I’ve grown to know God, I too desire to serve. And instinctively the first question that enters my mind is, “How can I best use the abilities that God has given me to serve in our armed forces.” I desire to be a warrior, desire to fight for a cause that is worthwhile! But for the past few years, I believe that God has asked me to stay away from our military for now, and that time has given me the ability to think about where I can serve best.
I’m not saying here that fighting for a cause is not worthwhile, nor am I undermining the efforts of the soldiers we as a nation have chosen to send fighting abroad to places like Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. But I am beginning to see that in a world where even here in the United States so much sin is covered up and its incredible danger and hurt ignored, Christ is the only true long-term answer to the cry of the world. Violence ultimately doesn’t solve a problem; only true love can create a transformation that the world desperately cries for but has no idea how to solve. I think we often like to put people in the category of “good people” and “bad people”. And so often, we believe (whatever country we’re in) that we are always right. But I think the real picture is often far more complex.
The Bible says in Romans 1:23-24:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
I Timothy 2:3 says:
God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
And Jesus says in Luke 6:27-38,
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
I’ve been reading a book right now called The Heavenly Man, and one section describes a story of a handcuffed inmate named Huang sentenced to death in China. Yun describes the inmate –
“He was ferocious and full of hatred, and just 22 years old. Huang couldn’t use his arms or legs but if another prisoner would try to get too close to him, he would try to bite his ear or nose off.”
“In cell number nine the prisoners had treated him like an animal, kicking and punching him. They’d refused to feed him for days. Instead they mocked him by deliberately pouring his food over him. His clothes were covered with food stains. One day, out of sheer desperation and pain, Huang waited until nobody was watching and rammed his head into the wall as hard as he could, in a bid to kill himself. He survived, but left a dent in the wall.”
To prevent Huang from committing suicide, he was transferred from cell nine to Yun’s cell where Yun, imprisoned for spreading the Gospel in China, had recently led the other men to Christ.
“The moment Huang entered our cell, he knew something was different. All of us showed him love and sympathy. We welcomed him with open arms, placing his possessions in neat order next to his bed.”
Huang was speechless as the men shared their food and cared for him. The next day, “Huang’s stony heart broke. He dropped off his chair, knelt down on the floor, and wept. He said to Yun, ‘Older brother, why do you love me like this? Why didn’t you eat your bread last night? I am a murderer, hated by all men. Even my own parents, my brother and sister, and my fiancé have disowned me. Why do you love me so much?’” Yun shared the gospel with Huang, who accepted Christ into his heart. “He was released from the burden of sin. All of the other prisoners were so happy. They realized that only the love of God can give true hope to those bound by sin.”
Is it possible that death is often a language that only breeds more hate? And is it possible that love – the love of Christ – is the one language everyone understands?
