“Here’s where the ___ River, fed by a hot spring, enters the ___ River. Want to stop?” We were enroute to Debeibe in Antioquia, with Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia. Six of us scrambled down the steep embankment to check out a favorite take-a-break-swim spot for DH, the only one traveling in swimming gear.
Four soldiers were under the bridge bathing. Their heavy gear, guns, boots, and uniforms strewn on the rocks. Exchanging greetings with the soldiers and comments on the refreshing water during a hot afternoon, DH jumped in to swim. We fellow travelers began wading. Three soldiers quickly strapped on their gear, climbed the embankment and took positions on the bridge and observed our river visit. The fourth soldier dressed, put on his gear and remained on the rocks. A brief swim, a longer time to show our respective talents for launching pebbles to skip over the water’s surface, and our trip to Debeibe continued. The soldiers were not in sight.
We were traveling in an area where all of the armed groups of Colombia are engaged in frightful activities. Today the Comision Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz issued a lengthy account of military and paramilitary actions and victims in their “social cleansing” in and around Debeibe.
I’m seeing powerful lessons in ways to “love your enemies.” I see the deep respect and kindness toward everyone, including soldiers and paramilitaries, creating space for a new society.
See, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Be then as wise as snakes, and as gentle as doves. Matthew 10:16
