A few days ago, Oksana and I left the children with Babushka for a few hours and went to Zaporozhye to spend some time with some good friends of ours, a couple named Slavic and Larissa.  

  As we sat over luch sharing about the adventures of raising children, life in Ukraine, and the changes that have taken place in this society, Slavic shared an interesting story.

  Growing up in a Christian family made him a target of derision during his school years.  The communist authorities made a point of knowing every detail about every citizen of the Soviet Union, and it was no secret that Slavic’s parents were believers.

  There was one teacher, especially, who made life miserable for him.  She was Slavic’s history teacher, and one day she launched into a tirade.

  “Slavic, you listen to me!  Do you know what will happen if you follow in the footsteps of your parents with this silly religious nonsense?  You will have absolutely no future!  You’ll never get a good job!  The government will never let you have a car!  You’ll never be allowed to travel!  If you ever do get a family, you’ll suffer in poverty!  You will have no life, young man!  Renounce this religion foolishness.”  

  Obviously, Slavic didn’t renounce it.  He continued to follow the Lord and, in time, the iron curtain of communism collapsed and changes came to Ukrainian society.  

  One day, walking past the school, he abruptly came upon his old history teacher.  He greeted her by name, and she did the same to him.  Then she asked, “So, how are you, Slavic?”

  He smiled.  “Everything that you told me would never happen to me if I continued in my faith in God has already happened!  God has blessed my life abundantly.  I have a wonderful job!  I have already owned several cars in my lifetime!  I have traveled not only in the former Soviet Union but into Europe!  I have a wonderful wife and seven precious children!  And God has never forsaken us even for moment!”

  The history teacher looked down and then said, “Well, things have changed.  Everything was different then.  Now, all of that has been destroyed and times are different.”  

  Sadly, the history teacher wasn’t willing to learn from history.  Those who oppose God and His Word will never ultimately prosper.  But he who build his life upon the Word of God will “be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

  “The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” (Ps. 1)