I know a lot of people can't understand how He can even let these things happen. But I contend that it is we who let them happen. God doesn't want people to hurt other people, as He has stated clearly in His Word, and yet we do it anyway. He has commanded us to protect the weak, the vulnerable, and we don't. The point I am getting to is this: we have to keep on fighting evil, because evil will not stop, will never rest, and when we stop fighting we give up ground. By fighting against evil, which we are equipped to do, we are carrying out God's desire not to let these things happen.
My son is in Afghanistan, fighting for at least two reasons I am aware of. One is that we were attacked, on our own soil, by terrorists who might consider that area a safe-haven were we not there. I truly do not understand how people in this country can have already forgotten the 9-11 attacks and cannot realize that what our military has done and is doing is to protect us from similar attacks. If this battle can be fought on the enemy's territory, isn't that better for us? Do we really need bombs to be going off in our neighborhoods to realize that we have an enemy who has vowed repeatedly to destroy us?
Another reason he is there is to help protect the innocent people of that area. It may be hard to understand what it's like to be in a situation so desperate as many many people in the world are. I began to understand when I saw "Hotel Rwanda." Another movie which expresses the extreme evils we are fighting in Afghanistan is "The Kite Runner." If we are so blessed, so rich, so powerful as a nation, don't we have a duty to rescue others who are suffering? We have the capability. Further, we have men and women who want to do it. Even if it means laying down their lives.
There are many humanitarian efforts going on I know, and of course those are necessary, but the bad guys are always going to be there. They are not going to just be nice. We need soldiers and weapons and we have to be willing to fight. We cannot even offer humanitarian aid without soldiers around to make sure it is received.
I am well aware that there are oppressed peoples all over the world. We can't save everybody. But I have three thoughts on that subject. One, we are already in Afghanistan, why cut and run, or even worse, why fail, why lose when we can win? While politicians and pundits bat around what we are to do, the Generals, the ones who are there and actually know what's going on are saying loudly and clearly, "We need more troops!" Can you imagine if we didn't give it our all in World War II? The enemy is giving it their all. Why aren't we?
Second, if we want to avoid future struggles with nations such as Iran, we need to be strong. We need to send the message that we will fight, and we will win. We cannot afford to be cowardly and indecisive. We must stand up and stand firm.
Third, remember the story about the lady saving the starfish on the beach?
A traveler was walking along a beach when he saw a woman scooping up starfish off the sand and tossing them into the waves. Curious, he asked her what she was doing. The woman replied "When the tide goes out it leaves these starfish stranded on the beach. They will dry up and die before the tide comes back in, so I am throwing them back into the sea where they can live."
The traveler then asked her "But this beach is miles long and there are hundreds of stranded starfish, many will die before you reach them - do you really think throwing back a few starfish is really going to make a difference?"
The woman picked up a starfish and looked at it, then she threw it into the waves. "It makes a difference to this one" she said.
In God's eyes, even one person is precious in His sight, and we must never give up fighting for that.
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