Peace in the Middle East? An end to terrorism? No more African civil wars? Impossible, some say. The difficulties have gone on too long, behavior patterns are too ingrained, distrust on all sides makes compromise unattainable.
But maybe these problems aren't actually unsolvable. I remember how I felt about the Berlin Wall. I grew up knowing the wall as a fixed fact. I certainly hoped it could be brought down, but did I think it was going to happen? Not really.
Then I saw a magazine cover featuring the Berlin Wall with a large crack down the middle. The title of the cover story was "Why the Berlin Wall Will Come Down." It jarred me! "Will come down?" I began to consider this line from the Lord's Prayer: "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Matt. 6:10. A couple of questions crossed my mind: What is God's will in heaven? And would Jesus tell us to pray for the impossible? I think anyone's concept of heaven includes the expectation of harmony; and I couldn't accept the thought that Jesus would ask us to pray for the impossible. I realized I needed to change my expectations, to consent to the idea that the wall could come down.
