“18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Rom 8:18-30 ESV)

All eventualities considered, meditated upon, diagrammed, and documented, yet the advent of hot spots, trouble zones, flare ups of the human experiment, the Body global and geopolitical, these reflect a level of stress felt everywhere, or sleepwalking bliss felt amidst the quieter suburbs of City Humanity. All eventualities scarcely enough to stage-manage the War of our times, the one some call a religious strife, some call a trade war, some call a nation-building or simply criminality exposed type of battle. The criminal acting in back channels and alleys, the freedom fighter armed for righteous deeds against the Establishment and Government no longer “of the people”. All this, and the sleepy fact: peace seems also to be on the scene. Peace, yet due to Coming Together experience, Come To Jesus, Come to Prophet, Come to Spirit, Come to Father: attestation believed upon, that to some their truly Authorized Deeds are in no way selfish or self-serving: each of us strives thus to be, tempered and calm, grand and particular, jurist and beacon… not of Self but of Service to the Whole, to the Body, to the Spirit, to the Minds melding and brimming with excellence, with astonishingly clever diagrammatic Purpose, Draws, Attacks, Seeded Notions, Behind-the-scenes Principles. In the summit. In the boardroom. In the Peaceful Projects-meet-Race to the top. We race, because our war is not along racially stereotypes lines, but rather the Eventuality considered, the ones not considered, the inability quite to will things into being, speaking once then not repeating ourselves, like God the Father Spoke earth and humankind into being: God’s Words, they shall one day be Heard and Acted Upon.

Words that help the poor depressive or the poor flailing agent of the Cross: we flail a bit, negotiating along lines pitiable but True: haven’t I, after all, showed complete submission? Where, then, is my advance notice? Didn’t I agree to whatsoever is in store for me, is in the stars for me, is Mission and Certainty of Purpose for me? Only this, that it isn’t some test designed to humble us, rather we Know that God leans in, peers in, at times scopes out, the scene, and relies on us in the meantime to be Agents of the Cross, lawyers of Him, Provocateurs of a Dying Man’s Will. We must act regardless of our status as Blessed. We are still Beloved. Who cares if we earn the accolade or the prize? Let us go the way of the night while we still have our Vision uncompromised, our bargaining untainted, let us go boldly into said night of war, because Spirit speaks to Human Soul, and agitates, and beckons, and frustrates, and brings out judgmental response. We are judged, for making a public confession of some simple sin of jealousy or such. It takes a lot of spiritual experience therein to Love the sinner who thus acknowledges that they aren’t “God” Himself: they are Human, and we are Witnesses to what Power Christ holds over all mankind, to humble those He chooses to humble, to build up those who are being built up… these latter, with astonishing Comprehension of their Battles fought, please O Lord, we shout out, let me be the creation you have Designed!

And then the agreed-upon bouts between the Believer and Unbelief: sit down, every so often, once in a while, and listen out, talk out, what spirit is in the atheist or Jew, Muslim or Buddhist, Catholic or Orthodox, Protestant or Unitarian. Just to Experience the race being won, by how and why each of us carries our mettle, makes our beds and wakes each morning, faces down life’s disappointments and dreams. All this, and the Tomorrow War, wherein we’ve covered most of our bases: our remove, our retreat to a distance for some, and frontlines for others, but for the former still the daily weight of Duty, and for the latter, the physical manifestations of the attacks spiritually felt by all. We are disgusted and frightened out of our Calm Demeanor, out of our Faith Walk, out of our Designed Duty: but no panic! No time to gape or show mock horror: we must reapply the Thinking Person’s race to the front, the eventualities redrawn, the lines no proud bout with greed but salvific of Gospel Truths as embodied in the Community. Saving lives, saving souls, saving things writ large in the vast populated expanses called Globe, called International, called Third World, called Back Alleys and Removes.