An 80 Year Viewpoint

I was born two weeks before the official end of World War II. I grew up with WWII planes flying over our house from the Smyrna, TN base. My father didn’t serve because he had an essential job working in a dairy, but many of his friends and co-workers had served. As a little kid, I would listen to them sharing their stories with each other.

As things seem to settle down, Korea began to heat up in the early 1950s. As a seven year old, my favorite uncle went to serve in the Army. He was injured in a non-combat event and came back home safely.

Once again, things seemed to calm down during the latter half of the 1950s. However, in the early 60s we began to hear about an unknown, far away country called Vietnam. It got hotter and hotter during the 60s and by 1968 it became ‘my’ war and I served four years in the Navy with our ship serving two deployments to Vietnam. After I was discharged, going through graduate school, and starting my career, things began to calm down again.

Over all these years since the end of World War II, another ‘war’ was going on – the Cold War. President Reagan, Prime Minister Thatcher, and Pope John Paul helped end that war.

From 1980 until the early 2000s things seemed to calm down again until. September 11, 2001. The Middle East came to the fore and we’re still there today with the uncertainty of war hanging over us again.

This war may be the most significant war of all as I believe it’s a war between the world and Islam.

So, what’s the point of this long post? Just a few thoughts from my 80 year perspective.

(1) Throughout all these ‘ups and downs’, peace and war, God has remained sovereign.

(2) God has used war to fulfill his overarching plan since creation. He will continue to do so.

(3) I know from reading the Book of Revelation that war with beast will be part of his plan for the end times when Jesus will return. If I understand it correctly it will be the final war.

So, I’m not sure where I’m heading with these thoughts other than to reinforce my thoughts about the Circles of Control I posted about awhile back.

My perspective of 80 years tells me that our current situation is still under the sovereignty of God. I choose to trust Him and his sovereignty rather than worrying about things I can neither control nor influence.

More importantly, I’m trying to be obedient to Jesus’ words:

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (Matthew 6:27)