QUEEN PENELOPE'S QUESTION

"Why do men go to war??"

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

• When Tommy, one of my older brothers, was killed in the Vietnam War in 1968, my dear Mom had already gone Home to Heaven in 1966 and did not endure the grief of losing one of her sons to war. She did, however, have to endure the grief of losing one of her own dear brothers in the D-Day invasion of Normandy in WW2. Her brother Arthur fell in that invasion in June of 1944.

• War is truly the greatest plague of humanity. The sorrow and the staggering costs fan out to affect all matters of society and families. While I am not a military veteran, I have been deeply affected by the steep cost of violent human conflicts.

• My recent piece about the Bow of Odysseus was taken from my visceral reaction to a new 2024 movie called "The Return", which chronicles the final return of the (mythological) Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, to his home and family after 20 years of absence in war and travail. His wife Penelope, the Queen, who endured his long absence and seems to hold out hope that he will somehow return, is pestered by thugs of "suitors" who want to marry her (they want her wealth). When speaking briefly with the "beggar" who shows up at the palace and is not recognizable even to Penelope as her own husband from so long ago, she is still grieving and asks the beggar, "did you fight with my husband in the war at Troy?" When Odysseus answers her in the affirmative, she then asks the needful and plaintive question of "why do men go to war??" While Odysseus has no answer for her, it is a legitimate question.

• I cannot imagine any Mother or wife or sister or daughter who would not ask that question. There is war throughout human history, both outer war and inner war, (and yes, I do know women serve in the modern military, but bear with my point of order here...)

• Papa God told me recently " you have been at war all your life" and that searing statement stunned me...and it was correct. I have lived much of my life in verbal battles (aka ARGUING...) and while I am quick on the temper from long experience, I have most assuredly had to temper my temper in my Elder years. My sharp tongue has not brought me solace nor relief from emotional pain. The bastion around my heart is formidable and not easily pierced except for my relationship with God and His Son. They are able to get through my tough emotional fortress.

• Western culture and especially USA in 2025, can be quite combative and rambunctious. People are so riled up (self included) and it is difficult to find peace, not only in ourselves but the world.

• The intensive inner work of following God and His Son is very messy and not particularly comfortable but needful ( just read my Substack!!! ) The One Who made us, has the blueprints and road map we need, if we will allow Him in. Take it from the blunt Oregon girl…this is not remotely easy to do. I plod on enough to see some breakthroughs along the way, enough to keep going towards God.

• The battle between good and evil is the transcendent battle of the ages for humanity, on every continent, in every culture and race, and also between men and women. For me, the inner battle is key.

• For being so small, I am actually rather formidable. Especially in my high school years at the height of the noxious Vietnam War, my raging grief over the needless death of my dear happy-go-lucky brother Tommy who died in that mess, spilled over into all areas of my life. I was the hipster, the gnarly and scary and gaunt girl who stalked the hallways of my high school, especially unpleasant to what we used to call "Soc's" (pronounced "sohsh", meaning the cheerleader and social types of girls). They were focused on attracting boys and doing the intensive makeup and hair stuff and cheerleader stuff. Nothing wrong with that, per se, but I not only did not resonate with that but pushed back on that template of females.

• I softened things up as I got older and especially after I returned to God...but I still retain the sharper edge to some degree. My sorrowful aggression toward the social girls of my high school days and the attendant repercussions of my rage, followed me all my life. Being prickly is not a recipe for making friends and drawing support. I have had to learn that unhappy reality in a very strong way, the older I get.

• The need for God and His Son is core to human life. The battles of life are not won only by our own "determination" or our human smarts or abilities. We do not control the spiritual realm! Ignoring it or pretending the master marketer of evil, the devil, does not exist, is playing directly into his hands. This is absolutely how he ensnares people. The devil is not stupid, nor does he lack weapons to use. He uses deception and utter lies, day by day. This is how I was brought to nought. It is only through the great love and sheer mercy of God that I still live today.

• God is not a thug or a bully. He seeks to partner with us, first in our inner realm, to cleanse, heal and restore what has been stolen from our life. Allowing God to cleanse our hurts and mistakes (with NO condemnation from Him, as condemnation is not an effective tool in the long run), essentially and gradually clears the path of debris and sorrow and allows God the right to lead our lives in His holy way. I came to God and His Son in childhood. Please learn from me, one who battled and refused my walk with God for 35 years, allowing the sorrows I experienced, to bring down my life. It brought me emotional turmoil, poverty, negativity and immense grief that persisted. It is a testament to the immense power of God's mercy, that I survived those Prodigal years and came back to God's front porch, completely broken but in deep repentance. I will never wander again.

• As Queen Penelope's question still lingers, I have no answer except "casting all your care upon him for he cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7) Step by step, He and His Son Jesus Christ, lead us Home.

  Wendy Elizabeth Williams January 31, 2025

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