You can place the blame on either poor education, propaganda, or just me for being so ignorant of the fact. But up until only a few weeks ago, I did not remember anything about the Bosnian War, let alone even hear any reference to it as an adult. Seriously, the hell right?
I am now here in the former Yugoslavia, Croatia to be exact, with the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina being only a stone’s throw away, literally. Like me and David walked over there for lunch one time. And it just so happens that the 20th anniversary of the war was two days ago. Thanks to geography and timing, I’ve been able to get a much clearer picture of what happened in this region 20 years ago. If it wasn’t for me being here, the rich history would have easily slipped my mind. The war came about as a result from the break-up of Yugoslavia. Hostility has existed among the different people groups since ancient times. The conflict was remembered for it’s bitter fighting, mass rape, ethnic cleansing, high figures in civilian deaths, and the division among the Croats and the Serbs. Given the short amount of time that’s passed, there is still a need for reconciliation. As one journalist puts it, in Bosnia, the past is unforgiven, unforgotten, and unresolved.
Through studying the war, I am reminded myself of how much my own lineage is shaped and molded by war. My grandmother on my mom’s side fled China and eventually settled in Vietnam as a child in the midst of WWII in order to escape Japanese oppression. My parents fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in shanty fishing boats across the South China Sea in the face of storms, disease, starvation, and pirates. My mom and her family found refuge in Malaysia and my dad found his in the Philippines. They eventually built a home in Southern California where I grew up.
Anger is a very beautiful and poetic emotion. The purest form of anger is not born out of ignorance or prejudice or a perceived threat. Those three are fear in disguise. True anger is ignited from personal pain; a broken heart. God’s wrath is a subject that some of us choose to avoid, but if we really understand it we can’t help but to fall in love with Him even more. Every time a child forced to kill, a woman is gang raped, or a man loses himself to his own blood lust, God’s heart is wrecked. And with that pain comes a terrifying and holy hatred for sin. A wrath so terrifying that it became flesh and took sin with it and nailed itself upon the cross. But this anger is never by itself, it is always accompanied by a more terrifying emotion: love. When Jesus died the walls that we’ve built around ourselves came crashing down. Those who’s lives were ravaged by greed, lust, and control will all one day find comfort within the Father’s arms.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
Oh, and of sin and love, only one of them rose from the dead.
Happy Easter everyone!
Some articles to read:
