Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See promises a story that “illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.” This intricate work of historical fiction delivers on that promise and provides a compelling journey for any reader; but for the Christian, I believe it offers enduring lessons about kindness.

Kindness transforms us.
In January of 1941 in Saint-Malo, a young French girl named Marie-Laure is unable to get herself out of bed. Her circumstances weigh so heavy even simple tasks prove impossible:
She becomes unreachable, sullen. She does not bathe, does not warm herself by the kitchen fire, ceases to ask if she can go outdoors. She hardly eats.
Like others throughout the book, the cruelty of the world threatens to crush her.
The cook and maid of the Saint-Malo home, Madame Manec, sees this and refuses to watch her suffer alone any longer. Though it is not her responsibility, she takes Marie-Laure out of the house and down to the Breton coastline. As her lungs fill with crisp sea air and her curious fingers trace the frames of surrounding barnacles, Marie-Laure slowly comes back to life.
Madame Manec risks going out of her home during wartime to stand on a cold beach for three hours so a child not her own can feel again. This is kindness: to love another selflessly and without expectation of return.
Reading simple and profound acts of benevolence from All the Light We Cannot See during my own season of depression comforted me. Those who have tasted the bitterness of life know the sweetness of a hand reaching out through the fog of suffering. In many ways, these fictional glimmers of goodness lifted my weary chin to gaze at the transformational kindness of Jesus.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is for the despondent. It is right for our hearts to break when relationships are severed; for sobs to wrack our bodies when death steals the life of one we loved; for us to acknowledge the sheer wrongness of pain’s existence.
We could have been left in the despondent darkness of sin, but God in his lovingkindness sent Jesus to be the light of the world that those who believe in him may be saved.[1] Tasting communion upon our lips regularly reminds us of this love: the body of Christ broken for us, and the blood of Christ shed for us.
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As we enter into the spiritual battlefield of 2023, we would do well to remember that while Herod did his worst in the early years of Christ’s life, he did not ultimately succeed in thwarting the redemptive purposes of God. When Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” He meant what He said. But as we play our own small part in that work, we must not lose sight of the fact that we do so in a world where many operate according to the same devilishness as King Herod.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,weeping and loud lamentation,Rachel weeping for her children;she refused to be comforted,because they are no more.”Matthew 2:13-18
Dear Friends,
These verses from the second chapter of Matthew’s gospel remind us that following His birth, the earliest months of Christ’s life were set against a backdrop of terrible evil and profound darkness. The celebratory hymn of the angels (in Luke 2:14) was followed by the sound of weeping and loud lamentation as Herod, in his twisted attempt to destroy the Messiah, ordered the murder of every male child under two years of age in Bethlehem.
As we remember and rejoice in the coming of our Saviour 2,000 years ago, let us not lose sight of the fact that the world is not any less dark now than it was then. We may not live in the wake of Herod’s violence, but the actions of civil governments continue to demonstrate the same contempt for what God has ordained – particularly when it comes to the sanctity of human life and His created order.
It is astonishing that just three days before Christmas, the Scottish Government has just this week secured parliamentary support for its Gender Recognition Reform Bill. The age requirement for those wishing to legally change their gender has been lowered from 18 to 16, there is no longer any requirement to secure a medical professional’s diagnosis of gender dysphoria and the period of time a person is required to live in their ‘acquired gender’ has been reduced from two years to three months (six months for those under 18s). Not only does this immoral and irresponsible legislation have the potential to place true women and girls in danger, it will cause untold damage to many teenagers at a time in their lives when they already face many pressures and experience much confusion.
Meanwhile, Liam Macarthur MSP’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is due to be introduced to the Scottish Parliament in early 2023, which if successful, will make assisted suicide (a form of euthanasia) legal in Scotland. Where similar legislation has been passed in other countries (for example, Canada), previously agreed safeguards are already being disregarded by some Doctors who are proposing assisted suicide to patients who are not terminally ill and the list of those who are eligible is likely to be widened next year to include even those with mental health issues.
While on the subject of the sanctity and preservation of human life, I would direct you to a recent speech given by Andrew Bridgen MP in the House of Commons and to the call from UK Doctors for a Government investigation. I realise that to question either the efficacy or safety of Covid-19 “vaccines” is, in the eyes of many, to tread on sacred ground. However, as one who continues to have concerns about the mRNA experimental gene therapy injections (as I highlighted in a letter in September 2021 and to our denomination’s Covid-19 committee the same year), I could not in good conscience fail to alert you to these developments. I don’t know what is more alarming, the fact that there have been thousands of serious Covid-19 vaccine-related adverse events and deaths reported in official national databases, or the apparent unwillingness of health bodies and governments of the world to take any notice.
Whatever may be the reason for this, and whatever people’s motives might be for such sinister policies as the Gender Recognition Act and Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, the fact remains that we are living at a time when the sacredness of human life is disregarded and the most basic foundations of a God-honouring society are being systematically overturned and destroyed.
Scripture tells us that whereas Christ came into that world to give life in all its abundance Satan exists to kill and destroy (John 10:10). Our battle then, is not ultimately with flesh and blood, but with the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
With this in mind, I am convinced that we must truly give ourselves to prayer. In particular, we must pray that:

The bride of Christ would take up the whole armour of God, that she might be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand firm (Eph. 6).

Those responsible for such destructive evils of our day would be brought to repentance, silenced or removed (Dan. 4:31-32).

Those seeking to identify as a gender other than the one given to them by God would be delivered from a corrupted mind (Rom. 1:28) and find salvation in Christ.

The church would recover her prophetic voice to the world and not be guilty of giving an indistinct sound (1 Cor. 14:8; Isaiah 1:17; Prov. 31:8-9). See our friend David Robertson’s recent blog post, for example.

As we enter into the spiritual battlefield of 2023, we would do well to remember that while Herod did his worst in the early years of Christ’s life, he did not ultimately succeed in thwarting the redemptive purposes of God. When Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” He meant what He said. But as we play our own small part in that work, we must not lose sight of the fact that we do so in a world where many operate according to the same devilishness as King Herod. Let us not therefore neglect our God-given responsibility – individually, locally and as a denomination – to pray hard and to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
May God have mercy on our land, grant repentance and revival to His bride, and may each of you know the blessing and peace of the True King, our Lord Jesus Christ, in all the days to come.
With love from your pastor and friend, in Him,
Paul Gibson is a Minister in the Free Church of Scotland and is Pastor of Knox Church in Perth, Scotland. This article is used with permission.
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The Bible tells us, “So teach us to number our days … that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 ESV), and Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Numbering our days is much more than keeping track of how many days we have lived or counting our birthdays. It is the reality of life’s shortness.

On Monday, January2, 2023, I started to watch the NFL game between Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. In the first quarter a Buffalo player, defensive back Damar Hamlin, made a tackle and got right up afterwards. He immediately fell down again. There was nothing obvious in the tackle to cause an injury. For a while after that, according to the commentator, the medical people had to give him CPR to restore his heart beat. Today the Bills are saying he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field after making a tackle. Damar is just 24 years old.
Both teams were devastated and silence reigned in the stadium. Neither team wanted to continue the game and it was suspended. They were in shock.
The Commentator made a statement something to the effect that this incident was not about football, or a player being hurt, or, to some extent, even about Damar Hamlin. It was about life and death. He said it well. His statement is extremely true.
Here was a 24-year-old man – in the prime of life and doing just what he wanted to be doing – playing Professional Football. Then he was lying on the ground having CPR to revive him and keep him alive. I am sure that while all of the players and officials were concerned for Daman, they suddenly realized that it could be them in that situation. That realization brought about by the event that just happened is sure to cause most of us to face our own humanity and face the fact that we won’t live forever, in fact, we may not live a minute longer. That is a staggering thought.
Humanly speaking, death is final. Just what is after death? We can’t comprehend or fathom it. That realization brings us to a sudden stop. It’s no wonder that those on the field were unable to continue playing.
The Bible tells us, “So teach us to number our days … that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 ESV), and Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Numbering our days is much more than keeping track of how many days we have lived or counting our birthdays. It is the reality of life’s shortness. As a youngster, we look at life and think, “I’ve got a long life ahead of me yet. I don’t need to think about death yet.” Actually, we have no idea of how many days we have to live. People die at different ages. Some are very young when they die Others live for many years. But what does 80 or 90 years look like when you consider the earth has been around for at least 4,000 years. What claim on life do we have for tomorrow. Even if all those at the Stadium in Cincinnati never outwardly considered the shortness of life and our lack of control over what may happen to us in just a few minutes, the knowledge of the shortness of our life span is built into us. Confrontation with death (or even near death) of ourselves or those near to us is absolutely overwhelming. It brings us face to face with the great fear that we have of dying. That is what happened last night.
We are called upon to number or consider our life span, the lack of control we have over our own life. We are told that “numbering” our days will “get us a heart of wisdom.” Wisdom tells us how to use whatever days we have in the proper way.
But what is wisdom? It is more than being knowledgeable. Many men of great knowledge lack wisdom. Some very unlearned people have great wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 tells us what the very beginning of wisdom is – the fear of the Lord. While fear includes being afraid, it is much more. The idea of fear includes holding that person as being so far beyond us that we are in utter awe of them. Such awe leads us to revere and worship that Person. And that reverence and awe leads us to desire to be like him or her. So, we seek Him/her.
Now, since God is a Spirit, and not flesh and blood as we are, He is impossible to know from our stand point. God had to make Himself known to us. He did that through His Word, the Bible that He caused to be written revealing himself to those whom He inspired to write it – and through taking on a flesh and blood body and living among us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Since we cannot know Him in any other way, God had to reveal Himself first through the Prophets and their writing. But that wasn’t all he did. He also lived and experienced all that is man – including death.
That is the “beginning of wisdom.” Once God shows himself to us and convicts us of our need of salvation, he brings us into his presence and continues to teach us and to make us more and more like Him over the course of whatever length of life He gives us.
As part of that He removes the fear of death from our lives. After all, If Jesus was raised from the dead, and he promises us that He will not let death keep us from him, what do we have to fear?
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 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. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:28-39 ESV
Perhaps God has used the events of last night to show you your need of salvation. God has promised that everyone who calls upon His name shall be saved through Christ Jesus. Find an evangelical believer or pastor and talk with them about salvation.
Also, take to heart and believe each of these verses taken from Romans . They are from God’s Word and are God’s way to Salvation – your first step in wisdom (Look up the passage in the Bible and read the verses in context All passages are quoted from the English Standard Version (ESV)):

Romans 3:9-12:

What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”

Romans 6:23:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9:

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:13:

for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 5:1:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:39-30:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
William A Robfogel is a retired missionary living in Sebring, Fla.
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