It feels great to be home. The last few days have been filled with mostly “normal people stuff,” like unpacking, taking care of the girls, and going for a walk. We’re adjusting to life back home pretty well so far. I’m feeling well, the girls are rediscovering all their toys, and Christi is taking good care of all of us. I’m even planning to work half a day tomorrow. It’ll feel great to put on my uniform again.
Of course, there are still things that remind us we’re not quite normal, like me having to come indoors when my neighbor mows the yard and, of course, taking my vast dose of medication each morning, noon, and night. Plus, the second half of my day tomorrow will be spent seeing my oncologist at UK Markey Cancer Center. I’m also planning my first return trip to Houston for the third week in June. Nonetheless, it’s a great thing to be together at home.
The Battle
This picture was my from my Twitter feed a couple weeks ago. The AP report is encouraging and suggests that the economy is improving. Whether that’s true or not depends on which politician you ask, but still it’s an indicator of Americans’ prosperity and something we can feel good about.
Just below it is a headline that should bother all of us. This tweet alludes to our declining morality as a society. That young adults find it increasingly acceptable to violate the sanctity of other’s God-given bodies is appalling.
While we prosper materially, we are decaying morally. I’m not referring only to America, either. In countries across the world, the moral code becomes increasingly relative and prioritizes self over others. Those societies without relativistic morality are often subjugated to Islamic sharia law or other strict religious influence. Neither of these scenarios fits the model of what God intended for his people.
The Answer
In the decades following World War II, the new chancellor of West Germany was Konrad Adenaeur. He had been imprisoned by Hitler and had seen the worst of mankind’s evil. He asked Billy Graham once if he believed in the resurrection of Jesus, to which Graham obviously answered yes. Adenaeur, who had been firsthand a witness to the atrocities of the Nazi empire, responded, “Mr. Graham, outside of the resurrection of Jesus, I do not know of any other hope for this world.”1
There is no denying the evil in our world, whether it manifests as religious persecution, sexual assault, greed, or even cancer. We’ve all seen it and been victim at some point, and truthfully, even perpetrators. As long as we live in this world, there will be a battle with a fierce enemy. The stakes are high—the spoils of war are our very souls.
But, for those who have examined the Scriptures, other historical evidence, and their own experiences, there is also no denying the resurrection. There is no event in the history of mankind more powerful than the resurrection of Jesus. It is only by his power that we have any hope of victory. Going it alone will get us nowhere and is exceedingly—eternally—dangerous.
And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:5 NLT)
This is the only answer to our problem. A better economy, a Mid-East peace deal, or better security on our college campuses are all good things but none will restore morality in our society or the world at-large. The only hope, the only answer to our problems, the only way to change the hearts of man, is simply Jesus.
1. Strobel, L. (2000). The Case for Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan