Voice of Ukraine

Day 576

‭‭When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
Psalm‬ ‭126:1‭-‬2‬ ‭

I remember 2014 when the war with Russia had just started, and I had a newborn son. I was sad that the year of his birth will forever be marked by the beginning of this war. Of course, I didn’t think it would last this long…

In one of my lessons, my students need to plan a tour of Ukraine. We agreed that we’d share their plans with those wanting to visit Ukraine once the war is over. If I were given this task, I would have probably been tormented by the thoughts of everything we have lost and all the places that have been destroyed. But amazingly, the kids were not limited by the past. Instead, they were boldly planning the future. And I desperately want them to keep this attitude, this “assurance of things hoped for.” I want them to think of Mariupol, Bakhmut, Bucha, and hundreds of other places in Ukraine and see beyond the destruction, see these places the way God intended them. I know it will be a while until all those are liberated and restored, but I also know that true restoration will be impossible if we focus on bitterness and loss.

Our project may be small and insignificant, or perhaps I am overly sentimental, but it brought great encouragement to me, which was increased even more by the assurance from ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭126:5‭-‬6‬:
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.