Normal
Dear all,
I remember the first time I sat down at a restaurant table, and the waiter pointed me to the menu – but I didn’t see a menu. What I saw was a small black-and-white collection of dots called a QR code. This was the digital world intruding into the real world in a strange (at the time) way – how far would this go? I had so many questions.
In the years since, those questions have abated because the unthinkable has become normal, and now at some restaurants not only can I order with the code – I can pay with it as well. Unbelievable.
This trajectory from unthinkable -> to thinkable -> to normal is nowhere more stark, more tragic, than in the lives of Ukrainians today. Four-plus years ago, as hundreds of thousands of Russian troops lined up on the Ukrainian border, most thought that an actual invasion at this scale was … unthinkable. Then on February 24th, 2022, it became thinkable because an attack from five axes by hundreds of thousands of Russian troops … actually happened. Now all these years later, war has become normal.
So normal in fact, that last night’s attack on Kyiv – 351 drones, and 68 missiles – hardly makes headlines outside of Ukraine. So normal that an attack just 12 hours ago, which left 12 dead and 50 injured, in the capital of a major European country, is the kind of thing that happens about twice per month. So normal that Kyiv residents, before an attack, make missile preparations like people make weekend plans for the beach.
Kyiv has a very extensive and deep metro (subway) system, and the city opens all its platforms for bomb shelters during attacks. Last night, 50,000 people sheltered on metro platforms throughout the city (besides all those who use basement bomb shelters), and these people make plans.
Ukraine has gotten good at predicting these attacks, and good at tracking them as they happen, so good that you receive warnings and make plans like it’s a road trip.
A conversation like this might take place in Kyiv:
“Big attack tonight honey – do you have everything packed so that we can spend the night in the bomb shelter?”
“Yes, but during last week’s missile attack, I had bad cell reception, I’m going to download a few movies for the kids to watch.”
“Sounds good – I’ve got water and snacks packed.”
A conversation that is both unbelievable, and normal.
When we move from unthinkable to normal, our world shifts, and the foundation we have is either strong enough to handle the new reality, or crumbles with the change. Jesus uses the analogy of our houses either being “built on sand or built on rock”.
Our churches in Ukraine are in the business of building on that rock, reminding people of God’s sovereignty as we pray for God to end this war, His providence as we recognize His control over all, His common grace as we run food kitchens … and ultimate hope – that which has come, and that which we look forward to. This is the message of the church in Ukraine, and we are privileged to support the Ukrainian church during this war.
All of our churches, now four years on, are still faithfully reminding people of these unshakeable truths, and offering the hope in Christ – even in the unthinkable. Pray for the church to be able to continue to do just that.
… and the air raid app you need to track incoming missiles and drones? It is ironically accessible through … a QR code.
In Christ, Jon & Tracy Eide
