We live in exciting times. While we know where things are headed, we do not know what lies ahead. Last time we talked briefly about the injustice that is growing hand over fist.
My father was drafted into military service before the German occupation and experienced the war days as a soldier. After the capitulation, apparently a feeling of great injustice crept up on him, against which he wanted to do something. His correspondence with his parents includes a letter dated June 21, 1941, in which his father gives him advice. Advice we can still benefit from in our time.
(Attachment to a letter dated 21 June 1941)
Saturday, God willing, I will go to Breskens. It is now a somewhat exciting time to go to Zeeland, but it is actually always so uncertain, so we have to wait quietly from day to day and go the way God wants us to go.
Perhaps this is more difficult for young people in such stormy times than for older ones. I also sense this in your letter when you mention the removal of our officers. I can quite understand how it boils over, in the hearts of young people more than those who are older, especially when one has experienced the war days as a soldier. And that one would like to fight again for the liberation of our country. One clashes powerfully against all that violence and injustice and can be thrown off balance by it.
The mind then becomes wrathful and bitter perhaps.
But then one must take care that the wrath does not last too long, because then one's own mind gets out of the God-pleasing mood. He who cannot wrath at the sight of injustice is a salt bag, but the Scripture says: Be wrathful and do not sin; the sun will not set on your wrath.
Who cannot wrath at the sight of injustice is a salt bag
Also, our patriotism can play tricks on us. Everyone is attached to his homeland, except traitors. But they are not patriots. We too must remember that we are foreigners and strangers here and that our citizenship is in the heavens. And the heavenly fatherland should attract us more than the earthly.
There is our Savior Jesus Christ, calling us to do His will here. And that is the goal of our conversion: to do His will. To seek grace from Him in everything to listen to Him. When we "want" to do His will, His word becomes clear to us. Then so much falls away that can still be used by the enemy to put stumbling blocks in our way in doing God's will. With gentleness we have to receive the word planted in us. Then, when this condition of heart is found in us, the word bears fruit. We know that we are in a world of iniquity, and that this world will not get better when this war is over. Injustice will increase even then, even if Germany loses. Scripture says that in the end times whoever does iniquity will do even more iniquity, and whoever is filthy will get even more filthy. That is not a pretty prospect, but Scripture is true. Let us be thankful to be delivered from this dirty world and strive to do the will of God.
With best regards,
your father.
let's be thankful
to be delivered from this dirty world
and strive to do the will of God
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