24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:24-26 NIV
The God of my childhood was filled with love, to be sure, but he was also awfully angry. Scenes such as the one depicted in the verse above left quite an impression. I visualized sulfur burning down on these two cities, with Lot’s wife frozen forever in time as a pillar of salt. I pictured her as a statue in some museum with a horrified look on her beautiful face – a permanent example of what happens when God has “just had it”. My childlike understanding of this story was very troubling.
Fast forward to the present – when we look at the depth and breadth of suffering in our world today, there are a few twisted world leaders that many of us would love to see turned into a pillar of salt! To the suffering caused by heinous and inhumane acts, perpetrated by a few world leaders today, it would be so nice to call down the wrath of God! Poof! Unable to destroy and demoralize any further – entombed in salt forever. Good riddance to your murderous ways!
I watched, as many of you did, some of the commemoration ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Many networks also featured recorded segments of the beach assault at Normandy in 1944. The bravery of the allied troops was absolutely inspiring. In their own way, they were raining down sulfur and furry on tyranny and injustice – one allied soldier a time.
Sometimes I feel helpless to make a difference. There is just so much need. Watching the troops storm Omaha Beach, I am reminded that collectively we can make a huge difference. I am not commissioned to save the entire world, and neither are you. But, God has asked each of us to love our neighbor as ourself. What does that look like to you? Perhaps we can save this suffering world, or our small corner of it, one person at a time. May it be so.
Blessings,
Diana Kongkeattikul
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