I've been following the crisis at the border pretty closely. After all, Lucas and I spent four years working with refugees and immigrants in the panhandle of Texas.
The border crisis is incredibly complex, and it stirs up a lot of different emotions in people.
The first emotion that I feel in response to the border crisis is anger.
I am angered by how the asylum-seekers at our border are being treated. I am infuriated at the unloving and apathetic response of the Church.
It's easier to walk around angry, but if I am honest and vulnerable, I am really, underneath the anger, deeply and profoundly saddened both by this crisis and the church's lack of compassion. I am saddened that our country has justified the inhumane treatment of people (men, women, boys, and girls) because of the breaking of a law. Breaking laws should have consequences, but humane ones. I am grieved that the Church is largely silent on this topic. Just like it was silent during the civil rights era in the 1960s. Just like it was silent during the internment of Japanese-Americans in the 1940s. Just like it was silent when persecuted Jews in Europe applied to get into the US and we turned them away because we valued our safety more than their lives in the1940s.
The border crisis is incredibly complex, and it stirs up a lot of different emotions in people.
The first emotion that I feel in response to the border crisis is anger.
I am angered by how the asylum-seekers at our border are being treated. I am infuriated at the unloving and apathetic response of the Church.
It's easier to walk around angry, but if I am honest and vulnerable, I am really, underneath the anger, deeply and profoundly saddened both by this crisis and the church's lack of compassion. I am saddened that our country has justified the inhumane treatment of people (men, women, boys, and girls) because of the breaking of a law. Breaking laws should have consequences, but humane ones. I am grieved that the Church is largely silent on this topic. Just like it was silent during the civil rights era in the 1960s. Just like it was silent during the internment of Japanese-Americans in the 1940s. Just like it was silent when persecuted Jews in Europe applied to get into the US and we turned them away because we valued our safety more than their lives in the1940s.
Earlier this week, I was reading an article on this topic and a sentence jumped out at me: "The children told the lawyers they were given the same meals every day — instant oats for breakfast, instant noodles for lunch, a frozen burrito for dinner, along with a few cookies and juice packets — which many said was not enough." You can read the full article here.
As I read this article, I had some tough questions run through my mind:
-Can you imagine your elementary, middle, or high school student being satisfied with this as their daily calories? -What will the lack of vegetables & milk do to their growing bodies?
-Are the juice packets 100% juice or "juice drinks" that are just a flavored sugar-water "juice drink"?
-How would Jesus respond to this crisis at our border?
-What would Jesus expect for His Church to be doing?
I must do something in response to this poor treatment of children. I am compelled to act. And so I wanted to protest this unjust government policy, by joining these children in their meals, by eating similar things to them. But as I started to think through the logistics, I realized that A) I do need to eat fruits, veggies, & dairy in order to stay healthy and B) No one would care about one person changing their diet in protest.
My next thought was to do this for a day. And during that day, this would be my response:
*When I am hungry, I will pray for them.
*When my food budget goes unspent, I will donate to a Christian ministry reaching out to these children.
*When I am done with these meager portions, I will spend my remaining mealtime in dropping a message to the elected officials who represent my area & my voice will be heard.
*But most importantly, I will add my voice crying out to the King of Kings, who loves the people in overcrowded facilities, just as much as He loves the elected officials who should be making thoughtful and humane policies and as much as He loves those who serve Him as His Church.
And so, I will pray for the children, the aslyum-seekers, the workers, and the law-makers involved in this situation.
I will donate to Christian organizations to minister to those on the margins of multiple societies.
I will let my elected officials know that their political posturing is hurting children and that is unacceptable.
I will ask the Lord of Lords how He expects me to respond and I will obey.
-What would Jesus expect for His Church to be doing?
I must do something in response to this poor treatment of children. I am compelled to act. And so I wanted to protest this unjust government policy, by joining these children in their meals, by eating similar things to them. But as I started to think through the logistics, I realized that A) I do need to eat fruits, veggies, & dairy in order to stay healthy and B) No one would care about one person changing their diet in protest.
My next thought was to do this for a day. And during that day, this would be my response:
*When I am hungry, I will pray for them.
*When my food budget goes unspent, I will donate to a Christian ministry reaching out to these children.
*When I am done with these meager portions, I will spend my remaining mealtime in dropping a message to the elected officials who represent my area & my voice will be heard.
*But most importantly, I will add my voice crying out to the King of Kings, who loves the people in overcrowded facilities, just as much as He loves the elected officials who should be making thoughtful and humane policies and as much as He loves those who serve Him as His Church.
And so, I will pray for the children, the aslyum-seekers, the workers, and the law-makers involved in this situation.
I will donate to Christian organizations to minister to those on the margins of multiple societies.
I will let my elected officials know that their political posturing is hurting children and that is unacceptable.
I will ask the Lord of Lords how He expects me to respond and I will obey.
No comments:
Post a Comment