Click here to read this column in Korean.
Throughout my Moderator year, I'd like to encourage and challenge you with two topics – to change, and to heal and reconcile. I talked about the first one in last month issue and now I'd like to share with you about the second topic – to heal and reconcile.
As we live in this wonderful country, we often forget how blessed we are. Very few countries in the world have not experienced war on their own soil and Canada is one of those blessed few. Of course, there was a war between Canada and our neighbor in the south but it was not a war that tore the nation into pieces and left a permanent scar to the national identity. And there were many other wars that Canadians fought and lost lives for but we didn't have a war on our own soil. Yet at this very moment, there are wars going on in many regions of the world. Each of these conflicts has its own reason and purpose. We have some of our beloved sons and daughters dispatched to the regions to restore the peace and harmony. Our prayers go out with them and their family members in Canada.
War and conflicts leave permanent scars on people's hearts, which mutates our conscience and freezes the judgment. It destroys the likeness of God in us. Its gloomy shadow lingers generations even after conflicts are over. Wars may end, but real fight begins as the process of reconciliation starts. There is a misunderstanding, disguised justice, inevitable hatred and division, and the absence of love and compassion for others, not to mention the politics that makes the situation worse. These deadly and complicated elements stay behind and destroy the community like a fatal disease.
We are living in a time of the most advanced thoughts and ideals. Yet we are experiencing the conflict and clashing in more complicated form. There are so many conflicts that I cannot list them all in this page but I am compelled to mention two – Afghanistan and Korean peninsula. We all know about the war in Afghanistan. It seems endless and so chaotic that some people say God has abandoned Afghanistan. Canada is giving out so much to defend the freedom and restore the security in the region and eventually bring harmony and peace to the global community.
Also there is a full-scale war in Korean peninsula. The Korean War never ended, two Koreas only agreed to cease fire in 1953. Technically they are having a break to fight again. During the last 55 years both Koreas built up not only huge amount of weapons and ammunitions but also extreme level of hospitality and hatred. More than two million soldiers are positioned to fight each other. No one wants a war again but the situation is so tense that you can feel the pressure in the air. There are more than a million Koreans whose family members were separated and have not met since the war. Korea has been separated into two because of ideology.
We do not enjoy talking about wars. Yet this is the reality that we Christians have to deal with. I'd like to ask you to pray for the people in the regions with conflicts. Pray for the leaders. Pray for the peace and harmony in the region. Also I'd like to ask you to look for an opportunity to learn more about these conflicts and contribute to the peaceful resolution as mature and responsive Christians. Peace doesn't fall from the sky; it is rather made through a painstakingly long process. God is calling his people to participate in the process and contribute to the resolution. Ten years of hard work can be easily wiped out by three days of war. We cannot allow any more war in the world and we have to focus our effort on healing and reconciliation. God brings peace to his people but he always does this through his people. It is time to participate.
