From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 1055)
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
Psalm 5:8
I made an interesting observation this year— most people I talked to said they did not feel festive during the holiday season. All celebrations felt forced or unnecessary. Many people limited the festivities to just immediate family, and several people put up no Christmas decorations. It feels like most of us are happy to be done with the holidays and back to work.
I believe it’s one of the symptoms of our ultimate enemy sucking the joy out of our lives. And it’s incredibly hard to resist, especially realizing the price paid.
However, we must live and see God’s goodness around us (for it is as present and powerful today as ever). I came across a quote by C.S. Lewis (I’ve forgotten how much I love his thought-provoking writings), which helped me get a better perspective.
In “Present Concerns” he writes, “If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things -praying, working teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts-not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (any microbe can do that), but they need not dominate our minds.”
This quote has been on my mind a lot for the past few days. May we keep our eyes on the eternal and not be paralyzed by the present.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Voice of Ukraine 