Ain't Gonna Study War No More

Years ago, when I lived "up north" in Georgia, I had a house with a fig tree and a grape vine.

I loved sitting in the shade of the fig tree. It was a living reminder of God's promise to me and to all people. You can find that promise in the Old Testament book of Micah (chapter 4, verses 1-4).

Micah tells me that there will come a day of peace.

People will come from all nations, living together in a multicultural community. God will be our judge and will settle disputes among nations.

And the people "will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every person will sit under his or her own vine and under his or her own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken."

I long for that day of peace.

I have added a counter at the left. It shows the cost of war. The National Priorities Project maintains the counter.

The cost is beyond my ability to understand or comprehend.

You can compare the cost. What else could we have done with that money? The National Priorities Project gives suggestions.

We could have ensured that every child in the world was given basic immunizations for 79 years.

We could have hired 4,135,284 additional public school teachers for one year.

We could have built 2,148,534 additional housing units.

We could have fully funded global anti-hunger efforts for 9 years.

We could have fully funded world-wide AIDS programs for 23 years.

I sometimes wonder, will the world forgive us for what we have done?

Will the future generations of our country forgive us for what was left undone?

Will God forgive?

I wonder if fig trees and grape vines grow in Miami?