More than conquerors

The political situation in Bangkok has escalated in just the past couple of days. Since the protests started, several people have died and many have been injured. The news talks about civil war, death, blood shed, eerie silence and darkness. It swings like a pendulum between portraying the government & army as insensitive monsters and being provoked & justified in their actions. The media swings like a pendulum between portraying the red shirts as fighters for justice & peace and instigators of blood shed and pandemonium.

It's hard for me to place my finger on what is truth, what is justice, what is right, what is wrong, what is worth fighting for, what is crossing the line and going too far, what is [fill in the blank] in this situation. It's hard for me to understand both sides and support one or the other. Both are at fault; both sides have caused destruction, have reeked havoc, and done their fair share of stirring the pot. I keep saying that I don't know what the solution is, but it is Christ. It is compromise and reconciliation. It is humility and forgiveness. It is admitting faults, mistakes, and sin. It is acknowledging and respecting the other side's opinions. I know it's not that easy; I'm an idealist at heart. Additionally, neither side wants to "give in," even in the slightest, perhaps because it is viewed as being weak or because each side is so sure that they are in the right...so they keep fighting. Why are we so afraid of admitting that we are weak, we are human, we are immoral, we are sinful, we are stubborn, we are wrong, we are needy, we are frail... and that we need Jesus to come to our rescue?!

We live in a fallen world, and as we observe all that is going on in Thailand, in one sense or another, we feel all the more called to be here. We feel so much more of an urgency to share with our students the love of Christ and the gospel, because this country needs it! (Less than 1% of the population of Thailand is Christian)! We feel blessed to be here, despite what the political situation may be, and know that God is sovereign and in control of our lives and what happens in Thailand. We hope that you will pray for peace and reconciliation in Thailand.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39