"WAR AS A WAY OF LIFE"

"After two months, Americans wonder when will the war end? To the Afghans, war is a 23-year routine. In Bahauddin, far from the U.S. air strikes, Northern Alliance soldiers fire on the Taliban lines from cliffs and trenches. They fight as they have always fought. Their children use gutted tanks as fortresses, playing as they have always played." What a chilling account of life as it exists near enemy lines. While we allow our children to surf the web checking out the latest fashions, our enemies are training their children in guerilla warfare. Stunned by the events of Sept. 11, Afghan children see bombing as an everyday occurrence. Instead of reading books about faraway lands, they are trained how to kill, and use weapons of mass destruction. School, a freedom many American children take for granted, is forbidden in Taliban-held territories. Visiting neighboring cities and choosing from a variety of delicacies is common for us, but life is bleak for the children of the Taliban camps, and the snows and hunger of winter are coming. The freedom to speak and vote for our favorite political party is an American luxury, but those who speak against the government of Afghanistan may not live to tell the story.

Today many women work outside the home as the sole provider. Many have high profile jobs that are competitive and equally compensatory to those of their male counterparts. Afghan women are forbidden to work, get an education, or learn the English language. For years, we have taken our American freedoms for granted. On Sept. 11, we were forced to examine them more closely. Will we ever be the same as we once were? The answer is highly unlikely. What must we do now in the midst of war? What are the new rules of engagement? While President Bush signs into law a measure giving law enforcement expanded powers to monitor suspected terrorists, Senator Feingold states in opposition ,"it is crucial that civil liberties in this country be preserved." "Otherwise terrorists will win this battle without firing another shot." Before the September tragedy, we ate, slept, traveled, and were educated with the same terrorists who destroyed us. Now through a battle of his own, the enemy is winning on another front. Knowing that fear is a crippler, he is using it to paralyze the believer. Anthrax, smallpox, and chemical warfare are his weapons of destruction. He knows that fear will hamper if not completely halt the promises of God.

How do we win the war? We do so through faith and constant prayer to God. The writer of Hebrews 11:6 declared, "He that cometh to God must first believe that He is, (whatever we need him to be) and He is a rewarder to them who diligently seek him."

Though war may be a way of life for some, we cannot allow this to become our theme. We must return to GOD, THE SOVEREIGN ONE. He longs to give us peace in the midst of chaos. God knows firsthand what will occur in our lives. We must be mindful to acknowledge him even in the small stuff if we are to succeed. Apart from him, we cease to exist. Life as it was before the tragedy, seems lightyears away. We are living in the end times when war has become a reality. Families are divided, and our nation is fragile. We must look unto Jesus the author (beginning) and the finisher (ending) of our faith. If we follow the suggestion of Paul, we will not be weary nor faint in our minds. Rather, we will make prayer a lifestyle, seeking God’s face instead of his hand.

"Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pains we bear. All because we do not carry " everything" to God in prayer." I have asked this question before, please allow me to ask it again. "If a sparrow cannot fall without "HIS" notice, how can a nation rise without "HIS" aid?"

By Travestine Wright