I Wanted War and I Was Wrong

I remember debating the crunchy telemark ski instructors at the resort where I worked as Snowboard Director. 

I had watched the Gulf War on TV and I had watched the Twin Towers fall on TV and it seemed like another one of the former would be a fine and dandy solution to the latter.

When Bush got Congress to approve the invasion of Iraq, I wanted war.

At that time in my life, I was full – full of ideas culled mainly from conservative talk radio and conservative Reformed theology. I needed to be emptied, to better understand the one who emptied himself and took on the form of a servant. But when I debated the crunchy skiers I did so with certainty and they were intimidated by the change in my otherwise kind personality.

“Haven’t you seen the al Qaeda manifesto? They want to destroy Israel and America! They will stop at nothing! And Iraq harbors them, even if they deny it. This war is just, even if there are no WMD!”

I was wrong.

On this Memorial Day I’m not here to shove an ideology down your throat. I’m not asking you to become anti-war like me, or to embrace the same vision of the gospel of peace that I have.

I’m just asking you to think twice about your own ideology, even as you celebrate the selfless actions of soldiers who have gone before.

Gratitude is good. I understand and embrace it. 

But I was wrong.

And anytime we wage war, we all could be wrong.

At great cost.

Come, Lord Jesus.

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[Photo: DVIDSHUB, CC via Flickr]