“You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.”

This saying supposedly originated in France and has been attributed to a loyalist fighting against the French Revolution as justification for the deaths caused by his efforts. Since then it has frequently been used as justification for attacks on others which leads to a lot of death and destruction – people who had their lives taken away or were left alive but broken. Whether the war was justified or not it’s a despicable statement in every case, because people aren’t eggs to be broken and cast aside.

Today’s war in Ukraine begs the question; what omelet does Putin think he’s making and does he care about the people he’s breaking? Once the war concludes there will be a lot of questions about atrocities committed and punishment that should be administered. Those are geo-political issues for others to discuss and only time will tell how that will unfold. Regardless there is no justification for the death and destruction.

But today’s Throwback Thursday edition of Morning Minutes in the Bible on An American Missionary is about the Christian’s response in the aftermath. One possible example of how we should react is found in 2 Kings 6:18-23 when Elisha asked God to strike the surrounding Syrian army blind and then led them into Samaria as captives for Israel’s king. The king asked Elisha if he should kill them and Elisha said no. Instead he had them fed and released. A hard pill to swallow, but necessary none-the less. Good people don’t kill captives.

Another example is from PLAIN TALK Magazine, February 1980.
Futile Figuring by Dan Shipley

"Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven." (Matt. 18:21, 22)

There are times when it is best to forget the arithmetic. One such time, as Jesus implies here, is when it involves extending forgiveness. Since God will not forgive the unforgiving (Matt. 6:14, 15), any limitations imposed on man's showing mercy would also limit his receiving it. The parable introduced by Peter's question makes this very point. Like the unmerciful servant, every Christian has received infinitely more than he could ever pay out in the coin of forgiveness. Why, then, this business of score keeping? Why taint mercy with a spirit of reluctance? Where mercy is needed, counting is criminal. The important thing is not "how many", but to forgive from a truly merciful heart (Matt. 18:35).

Oh, but Dan, don’t you know what they did? That’s just too much to ask. No, it’s not. It’s what Jesus does for us so how can we withhold it from others. The omelet maker’s not an egg either. Forgiveness isn’t easy, nor is it optional.