Weary of War

Weariness is dangerous. It opens the door to, and sometimes leads us through it, into decisions and behaviors that are contrary to what is best for us and for others. Victory or compromise are common outcomes of war, but the end of a war, due to weariness, can leave the war's rationale unresolved and lead to insecurity and instability.

The opening to the book “The Pope Benedict Reader” from Word on Fire states, “Weary of the somewhat tired scholasticism that dominated Church education and of the endless snipping wars of Catholics and Protestants...”

Psalm 18:2-30 “...The waves of death rose about me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the snares of the grave entangled me; the traps of death confronted me.

In my anguish, I called to the Lord; I cried to God for help...”

In our difficulties, we are to cry out to God, not give in to the difficulty. In war, we are inclined toward escaping the battlefield, ceasing to cry out, and turning toward compromising on what we are fighting over. In these times, we have to be reminded of why we are at war in the first place. The value of what we fight for.

“... You, O Lord, are my lamp, my God who lightens my darkness. With You I can break through any barrier, with my God I can scale any wall...”

The darkness of the battle can push us to retreat into the comfort of the false light of ease of life. The difficulty of breaking through a barrier of deception can, over time, lead us to see it as just a little bump on the road to truth rather than the barrier it is and the blockade it will become. The exhaustion that comes from trying to scale a wall that has new brick constantly being added, increasing its height, can lead us to repel back down the wall, convincing ourselves that it can be easily rounded rather than the obstacle to truth it is and will become.

We forget that the way to Christ is already very narrow. It needs to be kept clear of even the seemingly slightest obstacle. This requires many lamps to banish the darkness, all barriers to be smashed, and all walls to be torn down to their foundation. No compromise. No giving in to weariness.

Rev 21:8 “... As for the cowards and traitors to the faith...the idol-worshipers and deceivers of every sort—their lot is the fiery pool of burning sulphur, the second death!”

Those who lead others astray, put up barriers, or allow barriers to remain without effort to remove them are in great danger. Those who say to themselves, “they have gotten close enough to the truth. They can stay behind that wall or barrier. A little darkness never hurt anyone,” are leading the many “few” and themselves into the fiery pool.

Rev 21:27 “... nothing unclean will enter it, nor any one who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Leaving barriers, walls, and darkness is “telling lies”. Omitting the truth to end the war forgets why the war was fought in the first place. Weariness often causes us to forget, and that forgetfulness can get passed down to those who may have been inclined to take up the fight for those who were becoming weary. To win the war, we must not surrender. When we become aware of our weariness, it is time to prayerfully consider whether to pass the baton to the next generation of fighters rather than stay in the battle, under the illusion of keeping a commitment we no longer have the stamina to keep.

Lord help us.

Human-Written, AI Spell-Checked 5/5/21 AD

Image from timetoast.com