The Fall

When Confessions of a Westchester Christian Housewife talks about THE FALL, you are probably expecting a biblical account such as, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth-Genesis 1:1 or perhaps a poetic flurry such as Of man’s first disobedience and THE FALL by John Milton the English poet. Probably not expecting me to talk about my recent fall on a rug where I had neglected to put a rug pad. There were a couple of throw rugs in the attic of my recently purchased house that cleaned up pretty well. So, I thought that I would see how they would look in various locations before I bought a rug pad. I knew they were a little slippery but I seemed to forget that when I had an occasion to run across one of those rugs.

I am typing this blog post with my left hand, dealing with a technical fracture, rotator cuff and soft tissue injury. That fall, is the inglorious and humbling moment which is changing the trajectory of the spring season that I had planned for myself. How easy it is to get injured and sidetracked. How fragile is our human condition, that in just the twinkle of an eye, everything can change! It sounds like I am talking about that first fall again doesn’t it? Or, any fall? As my fall and its’ aftermath unfolded, I also became aware of someone from my past who was also dealing with a fall, he had again run afoul of the law. 

Those long term readers of this blog may recall a few blog posts that I did years ago highlighting a person from my past who got arrested. Another change that occurs in the twinkle of an eye is the disappointment and grief that we feel when someone that we care about falls in an unexpected and terrible way. I made a decision to try and stand beside this man in a godly way as he negotiated the prison system and his relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sin and its’ aftermath are always with us no matter how we try to spin it. Knowing God, has given me the courage to face this and to have some peace within that reality. That includes the news that *****, who spent five years in the slammer for selling some prescription drugs, has fallen down in doing right yet again. This was a sad turn of events for a man who had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. 

I recently discovered that he had re-offended maybe by accident, maybe by grace or maybe I was wary of *****. My relationship with ***** fell apart pretty quickly after he was released from prison. After his incarceration, my husband and I took him on a sort of Christian retreat. It was apparent almost immediately that he was not able to accept responsibility for his actions. He went to bible study with us but seemed to have a chip on his shoulder that never came down. The accountability partners that my husband and I were hoping to be for him never materialized. 

I feared almost immediately that he was on the wrong track. He seemed to lose complete interest in us after he met a mysterious Cuban woman that he had an online relationship with. She was beautiful, and seemingly out of his league. The whole situation had catfish written all over it. I didn’t even bother to tell him that. I didn’t have to, he knew what I was thinking. 

More and more, ***** seemed to drift away from the Lord too. He had been asked to work in a bible study ministry and somehow, I heard nothing more about it pretty quickly. At a certain point, I assumed that he was falling away from his church’s fellowship. So, I was not surprised when, while searching for his address online, that a headline popped up from his local newspaper that says he was arrested last year for petit theft on Christmas Eve.

What a sad place to be on the Christmas Eve of your life, alone and stealing. What was he thinking, and feeling that would allow him to do that on one of the holiest days of the christian calendar? Alone, angry, or had his impulsive nature gotten the best of him? I am resolved to send him an Easter card and address this issue. Then it will be up to him if he wishes to call me up.

Ironically, it was my decision to send him an Easter card that lead me to search his address online. I had not spoken to him for a few years and thought that the remembrance of Jesus’ resurrection would perhaps recall our past Christ centered bond. Samson had a fall too. But, it is what we do after the fall that can either reconcile us with God or further sever that relationship entirely. Samson chose repentance. What will ***** choose? That is between him and God.

We are living in a time of huge failures, all of these failures reflect our sinful natures back to us everyday in huge ways. What about Russia and the Ukraine? What about our marriages, our friendships. What if there is no difference in sin and it is all wrong? You know what I am talking about, venial and mortal sin. The concept of a little white lie comes to mind. That some sin is okay, like looting from rich people or their stores. If sin is not so bad, then I would have to conclude, that it is all good as I hear cashiers and salespeople tell me all day long. But, observations keep telling me that the Bible is right and that we are sinners in need of a savior. 

I have noticed as of late, that society says that some sins are okay while others are not. The wrong sin and you are canceled. The right sin and no one will hold you accountable. Every day, we witness some one being canceled financially or professionally. But, didn’t Jesus say, Let he who is without sin cast the first stone-John 8:7? We are not to be part of the cancel culture, unless of course that we are as blameless as Jesus.

What if the Bible were true and what we see around us is the result of the epic fall that lead Adam and Eve to be escorted out of the Garden of Eden? What if all the evil around us reflects our epic falls and that it is not all good? If not for that first sin would my fall have not resulted in bodily injury? Perhaps not, but because of that fall that Adam and Eve had, a departure came from God’s plan causing consequences of The Fall, including the present state of my shoulder. I imagine in the garden that the consequences of my fall might have been a giggle or good-natured ribbing.

There are things that seem right to us, such as taking money that doesn’t belong to us, or cheating with a friends’ girlfriend. It even seems okay to us when we are bombing schools and humanitarian corridors where innocent non-combatives are trying desperately to escape a brutal war. That is our sin nature. We can make excuses for it, but that all amounts to a hill of beans. We could say my commander told me to do it, or that I am a good person. How about, that woman drove me mad. Really! All the excuses in the world don’t make it the truth.

All The Falls around need to remind us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Apart from him we can do nothing righteous. Science won’t overcome the sin of the world. The Marxist utopia being re-packaged for consumption will not bring peace nor security, let alone happiness. Stop looking to all the wrong things to base your life on and again choose Jesus. It won’t stop the consequences of my physical or spiritual fall, just mitigate for it. As the frustrations of my all too human injury have taught me, Jesus comforts and heals. 

*****- refers to the man in my story.

 

The Russians

My blog statistics revealed that my last story entitled Ukraine was hit by several Russians. I have a regular Russian audience throughout the year. I think it is only fair for me to share some more of my thoughts on the current crisis in the Ukraine and Russia. Only this time with some additional emphasis on the Russian side of things. I have visited Russia in the recent past. I have a great love for many things Russian.

When I was a child, I developed a fascination for many things Russian. This included their history, classic literature, classical music and the ballet. I don’t think my interest was an accident and I believe that God has used my interests to plant the gospel seed with various Russians that I have met throughout the years. Just how does the Russian psyche approach the latest news that their country has begun a war with their neighbor the Ukraine? Well, first off many of them were in shock. It is not like they have any say in the matter. Or, that the topic was publicly debated, before their democratically elected officials decided whether or not their constituency would be in favor of it or not.

This was decided without the consent of the people of the state of Russia. So, with this fait accompli before them they could make either one of two decisions. Number one, they could whole-heartedly support Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops to the Ukraine. Many Russians consider this a patriotic gesture i.e.,to always stand with their country during any time of war or criticism. Their point of view is to believe everything that the Putin administration has said, such as the country of Russia is threatened by the much smaller and not well-equipped Ukraine. They believe the narrative that they are saving Russian lives and de-nazifying that country.

Some Russians could think of nothing else but to support anything that their President does whether they like it or not. They have been conditioned by many years of brutal dictatorships to do so. Those citizens of Russia would choose to support this military action as a survival gesture. They might feel that anything less could harm them in some way, socially, career-wise or worse yet they could be jailed. They may not be in favor of it but, would try to suffer through this decision that their government has made without their consent and try to make nice with it all.

There are many Russians who believe as I think Putin does, that Ukraine should be a part of greater Russia because of various historical aspects, including shared origins, religious and familial ties especially in eastern Ukraine and the Crimea. There are immense economic interconnections  too. There are more than a few financial implications involved. These are the people who are all over social media shouting their support for this event. They may be wearing clothes sporting the Z letter on a shirt or jacket to express  their support of Putin’s War. Z being the letter that is placed on military targets so as to have a bullseye to hit them with. 

Then, there is option number two, which is to disagree with the military action in the Ukraine. There are those who do not agree with this incursion into the Ukraine. Some of those people, numbering in the tens of thousands at least, took to the streets in various cities in a dramatic demonstration of their disagreement to go to war with Ukraine. Some bravely took to social media to post such messages. Then, there were hacktivists who were able to take over various websites and television networks briefly to bring messages to challenge the state narrative. Russians on both sides are passionate on this topic. 

What of Russian religious leaders. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has taken a definitive stand to side with President Vladimir Putin and place his blessing on the action. This has created some backlash around the world. Some churches affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church have asked to be excused from their association while expressing their disapproval of this military operation.

We are now up to 3 million refugees and counting. Whatever the historical association may be between Russia and the Ukraine does not justify the terrible destruction and killings that have taken place in the Ukraine. The trauma and results of this conflict will be with us for a long time. What of the costs to rebuild everything? How can so much damage be done in a time of such supply chain and epidemic problems in the world. Why now? Why add to all the problems in the world at this terrible moment. 

This is a time when all of us, Russian or Ukrainian, need more of Jesus. We have all had so much trauma what with the illnesses, political, and economic chaos. The mental health struggles in the world are enormous right now. The holy presence of Jesus in our lives is what we need as we face life, death, illness and political turmoil. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. The life that we need now more than ever. 

If you want the clarity of knowing that you have a savior in this big old insane world, you need to accept that miraculous gift that he came to give you. In his short earthly life he fulfilled all the scripture prophecy passages that refer to a future messiah, the savior of the world. Accept that you are a sinner. It is easy to say that the Russians sinned if you are Ukrainian. It is easy to say the Ukrainians have sinned if you are Russian. The truth is both sides have sinned against God and one another. We all need to say a big sorry to Jesus and ask for the provision of his atoning death to cover our lives. 

Knowing Jesus allows you to see your human story quite differently than what the current narrative of the world would suggest. It allows you to have compassion for the people that you want to fight. Seek solutions for Jesus’ sake. 

The western world has mostly sided against Russia in this conflict. I am not certain that the average Russian person knows how many cultural and financial consequences there will be for continuing this military action in the Ukraine but, the economic sanctions will eventually be felt by all. 

I am praying that the Russian people take this matter into their own hands and solve it with love and compassion for the Ukrainian people, with an understanding of the consequences of their actions in the world market, but most importantly, in reverence for the Lord as we approach Easter. 

I am also praying that if an agreement can be reached in time for Easter that we can mend and move on in a godly way toward forgiveness. It will be impossible without the Lord. God bless  Russia and the Ukraine. Lord, for the healing of the nations I pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Ukraine

The world is watching the tragic events unfolding in the Ukraine since Russia invaded them on February 24th. I find myself caught up in the story as it unfolds, even checking the newsfeed incessantly to learn of the latest developments. An unprovoked attack, including civilians being fired upon by an overwhelming adversary. Will there be nuclear war? Will Russia defeat Ukraine and continue to rebuild their former empire?  Will NATO, or the United States intervene and how? What of China? I have been doing a lot of praying for the people of Ukraine and for the Russians too. 

The ability for some free, and not propagandized, news to come out of this nation has allowed us to see inside the invasion, including the atrocities that are now being investigated as possible war crimes. The Ukrainians are heroically fighting the Russian forces with (but mostly without any one’s help) and despite all the overwhelming odds against them. 

They have lived as a free people for some thirty years since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. However, they have struggled throughout the course of their history due to their proximity to the kingdom of the north, Russia. They were swallowed up by the 1917 communist revolution and I believe the Ukrainian people have known that the day would come when they would have to again face the Russian bear. That time has now come.

This is why the Ukrainians so desperately wished to join NATO. Not as Russia has said, to threaten Russia but, their motive was to stop Russia from doing what they are currently doing today. The former Soviet Union made sure that the Ukraine was left without nuclear weapons as they were becoming independent of that state. Weapons that would now have made Russia think twice before they invaded their neighbor.

Ukraine has repeatedly resisted attempts by Russia to install a puppet regime in their country over the years. The goal was to have a pro-Russian ruler in the Ukraine so that in effect, the Ukraine could be under Russian control while still looking free. What we are seeing unfold is a tangled web of lies and manipulation. Each side of the conflict claiming that the other side is in the wrong.

But, who is telling the truth? The truth really matters to a Christian. But, what is truth? Many people are asking what is the truth concerning this conflict. They are confused because of all the conflicting narratives. Pontus Pilate was confused when speaking with Jesus, causing him to conjecture and to utter the famous line, what is truth? Humanity has been and always will be asking this all important question. In today’s philosophical and spiritual environment the answer seems to be, the truth is anything you make it.

Many people tell a story or two on facebook, back it up with some slightly doctored pictures and even they believe it is true. I have told several stories on this blog about online romances that have turned out disastrous for people that I know when they discovered that the person they thought they were communicating with was not being truthful. 

Without a firm basis in God’s objective truth and the help of the Holy Spirit we are doomed to a life of confusion all because truth matters. The Bible says there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom.Wisdom comes from knowing God. Wisdom moderates knowledge. Wisdom is what you need to properly run your life, your community and your world with more sanity.

God handed down the Ten Commandments and described what goodness and what evil was. In doing so God revealed what the truth really is. Almost a third of the Bible is devoted to prediction of the future, called prophecy. In prophecy the truth of the human story is also revealed.

Underlying the laws and the revelation of the course of humanity is the truth that we are sinners. The pages of the Bible scream that lesson and so does everything to do with the invasion of the Ukraine. The fake news coverage screams sinners, and the gunning down of the elderly, women and children does too. The Russians are raping in southern Ukraine, walking around dangling open grenades to control the populace, dropping cluster bombs and sieging Kherson like the Nazis seiged them at Leningrad! Whose the Nazi now?

The Bible never compromises the truth, no matter what that truth is. The Jews were repeatedly and brutally attacked by powerful neighbors such as the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Persians. These Bible accounts of war tell the truth about who we are as people. According to the revelation of this book war will continue until God himself will “beat their swords into plowshares” and their will never be war again.

There are little lambs in the world who think that this planet should be one big, happy family. That freedom is a human right. While they naively stand on their soap boxes saying that hate has no place here, have Ukrainian flags flying in front of their houses or on their social media accounts, the Ukrainian people are begging the world to send weapons, and help them with concrete military and humanitarian aide because the world is not a big happy family. 

The Bible says that we are continually sinning and that our hearts plot evil. It says that the only way that war will stop is when God supernaturally will intervene. The Bible, in addition, shows that war has been necessary at times. God commands war for example when evil must be vanquished. He instructs the Israelites to vanquish the evil inhabitants of the land of Canaan in a war. The Bible talks of preparing for war, including and down to such facts as the proper age of a soldier etc. 

One of the practical outcomes of accepting that mankind is a fallen people is to understand that you have to be ready to defend yourself from aggression. Being able to fight if someone attempts to steal from you, rape you or tries to kidnap you is self-defense.

Even the checks and balances on government written into the United States constitution were put in place because of the christian founding fathers belief that government is inherently wicked and that a way to combat that is by placing checks and balances on all the governmental offices. Sort of like self-defense against overreaching governments. (Sad to note that the constitution is being side-lined).

Europe is practically defenseless at this moment accept for the treaties they have with Nato. Europe wanted to shuffle off their past history of wars, and get rid of their weapons. They thought that they were entering a new era, maybe the dawn of the age of Aquarius or something.

This aggression upon the Ukraine has put all that supposed wisdom into question. If Russia is again on the move in the eastern end of their continent, what would they do if Russia again sought to retake their old empire. After all, during the Cold War their sphere of influence went all the way into the heart of Western Europe into Germany. The difference now is that Russian is so much more militarily powerful than it was during the Cold War. Their military stockpile is huge. The Europeans have a problem.

The talk has again come to the practicality of handling the Russians. Will the truth of humanities war-like nature bring a rearmament to Europe? French President Macron has addressed his people and Europe with plans of an European Union army. That idea was rejected before but now, whatever the outcome of this war with Ukraine, I think that something has changed and we are entering another chapter of strategic planning. 

But for now, as of this blog posting, the United States has agreed to supply Ukraine with MiG fighter jets. Stay tuned, the air battle is about to begin. The truth is the Ukrainians have been given too little too late. But is it enough for them to succeed? They are fighting for their lives against one of the strongest military powers on earth. Yet, their love of freedom shows and they are bravely giving their all in this terrible war. I pray that the Ukrainians succeed in their battle to stay free. 

Is the time coming when we will gladly be happy to follow anyone promising peace and security? You betcha ya.