Believe in life

By Tom Ehrich

On the same day North Korea threatened a preemptive nuclear attack on the US, I had other concerns: snow starting to fall on Manhattan, dinner with a friend, investment strategy after a record Dow high, web site design, completing slides for a church leaders’ retreat, and of course the strenuous doings at Downton Abbey.

Those concerns would vanish into irrelevance if nuclear missiles did start flying. North Korean would vanish, too, as would any prospect of peace.

What else can we do, though, but live the day we have before us? I remember visiting towns along the Mediterranean. If enemy ships appeared offshore, the day changed. Otherwise, they made shoes, harvested grapes and olives, attended mass, taught their children, and walked along the harbor gazing out to the sea that was their source of food, home to dragons, and avenue of attack.

Today’s ally could be tomorrow’s enemy. Today’s lovemaking could be tomorrow’s death in childbirth. Anything can go wrong. But life can’t be lived in fear of the wrong. The boldness of living is to live even as evil powers threaten war and life itself promises difficulty.

Faith isn’t about guarantees. Faith says the loved one is worth holding even if she is torn away tomorrow. Faith says learn to plant olives even if destruction pends, because the day of needing food will come.

Faith says believe in life, even as death hovers. Faith says believe in God, even as darkness seems to be winning.