Civil Wars

Just after lunch on Thursday it started to snow - well, it was a strange mixture of hail and snow.  I noticed on the News that morning it was snowing in the Ukraine.  And Ukraine was on the News as Russia had indeed invaded it.

We - the children of Adam - seem to learn nothing from our past - not even from two World Wars!  Round and round we go, lurching from war to war, from tragedy to tragedy.  The Ukrainian and Russian people have been through so much in the last century, and here it all goes again.

If only people on both sides realised that we are all, literally, brothers and sisters, and that all wars are civil wars.

The poet, Christopher Logue, said it better than I can:

“O come all ye faithful

 Here is our cause

 All dreams are one dream

 All wars civil wars.”

And, in the light of the worsening news from the Ukraine, this was posted on JW.org today:

"Today, warring nations often appeal to God for support. But God does not take sides in today’s wars. Instead, in his Word, the Bible, he clearly states: “Return evil for evil to no one,” and, “Do not avenge yourselves.” (Romans 12:17, 19) Moreover, he has made known that mankind should “wait patiently for him” to take action, which he will do at Armageddon. (Psalm 37:7, footnote) When the nations fail to wait for God to act and instead resort to warfare, he views such wars as presumptuous acts of aggression that bring his displeasure. Thus, at Armageddon, God will express his indignation and settle the nations’ disputes once and for all by “bringing an end to wars throughout the earth.” (Psalm 46:9; Isaiah 34:2) Indeed, Armageddon will be the war to end all wars."

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/wp20151101/is-war-ever-justified/

And another Scripture on my mind is this famous one from Isaiah. It is a promise that there will be peace on the earth, but only when the loving Kingdom of God is ruling over us.

       "He will render judgment among the nations

 And set matters straight respecting many peoples.

 They will beat their swords into ploughshares

 And their spears into pruning shears.

 Nation will not lift up sword against nation,

 Nor will they learn war anymore." - Isaiah 2:4

And already Jehovah is teaching millions of us - from every tribe and tongue and nation - to learn how to live in peace as the brothers and sisters we truly are. In such a divided world, isn't that a miracle?