A God of Justice but Mercy is His Specialty

I love the biblical book of Micah, cause it exudes with themes of Social Justice. Reading the book of Micah, I can't help but notice how his heart broke for the same things that broke God’s heart. It was evident that Micah’s burden was for the poor and he rebuked the rich, self-reliant people of Israel’s two affluent capital cities, while presenting hope and support for the poor. The rampant deceit, fraud, injustice and corruption was crippling the people, allowing the rich to get richer, and the poor to get poorer. So through Micah, God issued his warning [2:3-5].

Of all the persons that should have set the standard for righteous living it was the leaders and prophets who were to be the example, but it was these same leaders of Jacob and Israel who led the people astray, oppressed them and devoured them amidst their corruption. Micah held little back exposing the hypocritical actions, and low living of the leaders and false prophets.  There was no way that in the light of these revelations that they could deny that the impending judgment of the Lord was just.

There was no excuse for the sins that were being committed, God had made it very clear, what was expected of His people. Time and time again, we see throughout the Old Testament that it's not their sacrifices, ritualistic worship or offerings that God wants but to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”~6:8.  It doesn’t require a lot of hermeneutic examination to know that this is still the essence of what the Lord requires of us today.

Micah encourages God’s people with the hope of an ideal future  to be ushered in by the Messiah born in Bethlehem "He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  And he will be their peace." ~5:4-5. I love the contrast of the current leaders of Israel who oppress and destroy the poor versus the coming Shepherd King who will stand and protect his flock. What a relief that must have been to those who had been under the thumb of unrighteous rule.  Micah reminds us that Justice and Mercy meet at the cross in unparalleled perfection.

I love Micah’s prayer of thanksgiving  found in chapter 7, which foretells of the grace that was to come “Where is the god who can compare with you—wiping the slate clean of guilt,Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of your purged and precious people? You don't nurse your anger and don't stay angry long, for mercy is your specialty. That's what you love most. And compassion is on its way to us. You'll stamp out our wrongdoing. You'll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean.You'll stay true to your word to Father Jacob and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—Everything you promised our ancestors from a long time ago.” ~7:18-19. What a glorious image of our God, who is abounding in grace and mercy. I particularly love the line about hurling all our iniquities into the depths of the sea, what freedom is found in forgiveness as great and complete as this.

One Person with Courage is the Majority

As I was Googling for a pic to include with yesterdays post, I stumbled across recent accounts of women who are being stoned to death.  Disturbed by what I read, I began to dig a little deeper, and discovered a movie, released just a few days ago, called "The Stoning of Soraya M".  I rented that movie and watched it today.

It was the most disturbing movie I have ever seen.  I believe it is a movie everyone should see, but the heart-breaking true story and graphic images makes it hard to sit through.

The overall tragedy and abhorrent act of stoning someone to death in the name of God, left me appalled, yelling at the TV screen as righteous anger almost oozed from my pores.  I could go on forever, but this is not the forum, so I will simply address in brief, a couple specific things that stood out to me in the movie.

Zahra the main character, a brazen, bold and outspoken woman lives with a heavy sense of justice.  She recognizes that what has happened to her friend and in her community is wrong, and she is refusing to stay silent about it. She says "I know right from wrong and what happened here yesterday was wrong." So, to the French reporter, Freidoune Sahebjam, whose car has broken down in her village, she says, "The voices of women do not matter here, I want you to take my voice with you".  She was determined to stand up, at risk of her own life to have the truth told! On one hand my heart resonates with Zahra's, I am propelled by justice.  Wrong's should be made right.  People should not be able to continue unchallenged, in behaviours that are deceitful, unrighteous and detrimental to both themselves and others.  Light needs to be shone to expose the darkness for what it is. However, I found myself finishing the movie, a little convicted.  More often than I would like to admit, when I should stand up and speak out, I remain silent.  One person had the courage to speak up when everyone was silent - now the whole world knows the truth!

Throughout the movie we see characters struggling with wanting to do the right thing, but instead choosing to maintain the status quo and not rock the proverbial boat.  They were willing to keep their mouth shut, to play along and even participate in the what they knew was the unjust stoning of Soraya.  The men in the town, even her friend the mayor, pleaded with Zahra to "soften your tongue, work with them, respect them, give them what they want, tell them what they want to hear". To which Zahra responds "That is what you do isn't it - but at what price?" At one point she says that he is nothing more than a slave, a prostitute to those he serves.  I am reminded of something I once heard a pastor say. "If God put it in your heart to say it and you don't say it - if God put it in your heart to do it and you don't do it...you're not a prophet of God, you're a prostitute of the church." Our silence can costs us and more often others, dearly, sometimes their lives, spiritually and/or physically.

The mayor, realizing that he had participated in bringing about this travesty, having conceded to this innocent woman being stoned, prayed just before that fateful hour "dear God help me, if what we're doing is according to Your will then grant me the strength to go on, help me to do the right thing. But if this is against Your will give me a sign so I can stop it." Soraya's own father picks up the first stones and throws them at her, they miss her time and again.  An onlooker speaks up and cries that Soraya should be set free, that it is a sign from God that the stones are unable to hit her, that He is protecting her because she is innocent.  First of all, the mayor never had to pray to God in the first place, because he knew this woman was not guilty and his heart told him that stoning her was wrong. Then we see the mayor recognizes that this is indeed the answer to his prayer, she is innocent, he is to stop it and yet  influenced by those who orchestrated this deadly plot he does not intervene.  Perhaps we can identify similar situations where we've asked God for a sign, for help, and He faithfully provides it to us, but we choose to do it our way, because at the time it seemed easier, reasoning everything else away as coincidence.

This whole scene reminded me a lot of when Jesus was brought before Pilate, and the mob mentality that contributed to him sentencing Christ to death by crucifixion. 

This incident takes place in 1986, however this is what I found with a little research:

In 2007 a 17 year old girl from Mosul Iraq, was stoned to death by 1000 men for having a relationship with a Sunni Muslim boy.  More abhorrent is the fact that they video taped the act on their cell phones as they threw the stones.

In October, 2008, a 13 year old girl, Aisho Ibrahim Dhuhulow was buried up to her neck at a football stadium then stoned to death in front of more than 1,000 people for the alleged crime of adultery

A survey carried out in August 2009 found that 83% of Pakistanis believe that adulterers should be stoned. In another survey carried out in 'moderate' Indonesia (at 220 million, the world's most populated Muslim country) it found that "almost half the respondents back stoning as a punishment for adulterers.  Also take note that the book which this movie was based on written by Sahebjam was banned in Iran and I imagine the movie will be to.   I do not suggest by way of these statistics (how accurate or biased they are is to be taken into consideration) that people hold these views simply based on their ethnicity or religious beliefs, this would be a bigoted and abhorrent suggestion.  However, I personally find it abhorrent and repugnant whenever anyone of any religion (Christians included) uses God to condone hurt and oppression against others. 

The passage found in Acts 4:1-21 describing Peter & Paul being brought before the Sanhedrin is the scripture that came to mind as I watched this movie.  The Sanhedrin were responsible for the stoning death of Stephen, depicted in Acts 7 and they also conspired to have Jesus killed. We are reminded in these verses that a group of people can come together in their hate, to kill and destroy, perverting the name and word of God, but ordinary people with the courage to speak up and stand in the truth of God can be used by God to help change and save lives.

EVOKE

I really appreciate the friends in my life, who know my heart and do what they can to inspire, enable and equip me to live out the passions God has placed within me.  A great friend, is someone who desires to see you fulfill the plans and purposes God has for you.  To that end, a friend posted a link on my Facebook wall to a new online initiative called "EVOKE".  I had never heard of this site, and at first glance thought it was some online 1st person game (I am not generally a fan of video games or comic books) but as I researched it more, I became increasingly intrigued. EVOKE is a ten-week crash course in changing the world. It is free to play and open to anyone, anywhere. The goal of the social network game is to help empower people all over the world, and especially young people in Africa, to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent social problems.That was enough to cause me to sign up and now I wait with anxious anticipation to be approved.

I looked up the definition of EVOKE and it means to summon into action - as Christians we are called to action. An action to love others, an action to stand up for justice, an action to care for the oppressed, and marginalized.   There are two verses that stand out to me, as I think of the word evoke; the first is my favourite verse from 1 John 3:18 - "Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth"  the second from James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Sometimes it seems we know all to well what we ought to do, but are paralyzed in not quite knowing how to go about doing it, or even how to begin.  While I do not think this is Christian based initiative (as if that should be a precursor for getting involved in something good), it appears to provide, those with a desire to  put their love in action; to serve; to meet the needs of the poor and oppressed, the opportunity to learn how to best to do so. If nothing else it is a good place to gain knowledge of the needs in our world and how we might play our part, living out the commands God has given us.

It is obvious from the interface this is marketed to a younger under 30 crowd, their suggested age is 13+, though they say they expect most of the users to be of university age. From first glance, I believe this online game developed by world reknown game designer Jane McGonigal (Yes she is a woman) and produced by the World Bank Institute, has the potential to increase awareness, educate, equip and enable individuals all around the world to make a difference.  Not only that but it is an interesting, engaging and interactive forum.  It is intriguing that it says that what you will experience is not a simulation, instead you are provided real problems to tackle, things like Food security; Energy; Water security; Disaster relief; Poverty; Pandemic; Education; Global conflict and Human rights.  You  are challenged to establish innovative, creative solutions with the resources you have available. It may require you to get as many people involved as possible and take a risk, as you come up with new ideas to change a life, and  the world as you meet the practical needs of those who suffer.

Let me share a little of what I have discovered so far, the "EVOKE" challenge runs from March 3rd May 12th.  The three objectives of each weekly mission you receive are to LEARN, ACT & IMAGINE.  There are rewards, for your efforts including mentorship, travel scholarships and seed funding.

I have included the Evoke trailer below and would encourage you to check out their website, http://www.urgentevoke.com and consider taking the EVOKE challenge yourself.  I am not sure what to expect as of yet but I am interested in taking the challenge myself! 

EVOKE trailer (a new online game) from Alchemy on Vimeo.

Would You Rather Be Right or Do Right?

Tomorrow I am on my way to our pastors network retreat.  Part of the weekend includes a check-in time where we share and encourage each other as we reflect on where we currently find ourselves  A couple of the questions we are asked to consider are: What is God saying to me through His word, personally and through others and what am I doing or going to do about what He is saying?

I have been thinking this over for a few days now, and I am going to error on the side of vulnerability in this post.  While God is constantly drawing to my attention, areas in my life that I need to focus and work on, there has been one area specifically over the last little while that has been demanding more of my attention.

It is best summed up by the question a friend confronted me with earlier this week "Would you rather be right or do right?"  This was posed in response to my dissatisfaction and struggle with a situation. This one question however, strikes at the core of my hearts struggle.

My spirit rises up at injustice.  I have always had a very strong sense of right & wrong.  While I am far from perfect and struggle like everyone else to live a righteous life, my conscious is very tender and I am keenly aware of when I am doing wrong. I have very high expectations of myself and others who claim to follow Jesus, and as a result I can sadly, be very judgmental of Christians. I expect people to know and act accordingly, to use common "Christian sense", especially when it comes to loving God and others and being a person of integrity.

So answering the question honestly, I am growing weary of doing right at the sacrifice of being right. Sometimes I just want to stand up and fight and be right, so that others might be held accountable to start doing right.  Here, however are the struggles I face in deciding whether to do right or be right:

1) Knowing what is the right thing to do is a struggle in and of its self. Could it not be that sometimes the right thing to do is to in fact "be right"? What I mean by this is perhaps at times, doing right does not mean, doing what will enable others to continue in their misguided ways, but to stand up and speak out - to fight for what is right-despite the fact that it may cause some turmoil, hurt hearts and chaos.  Again I point to the examples of Martin Luther King, Ghandi etc.

2) When I do choose to "Do Right" instead of "Be Right" I am sometimes left with feelings of resentment and bitterness thinking that the situation has been left unresolved, injustice allowed to fester. Here is what God has been revealing to me personally, through others and His word.  I am not the corrector of wrongs, the outcome of any situation is ultimately not in my hands.  God is judge, and He will bring about justice and should He choose to use me to bring about justice, He will make that abundantly clear, providing opportunities to do so. Proverbs 20:22 reads "Do not say 'I'll get you back for this wrong!' Wait for the Lord and He will deliver You" Justice is not ours to carry out it is the Lord's. 

3) What if I am convinced that I am right - only to find out in the end I am wrong. I am not God, so who I am to assume I even know what is right.  Of course common sense, discernment, wisdom and wise Christian council go a long way to ensuring any of us are not rogue vigilante's. The danger however lies not in what we know but in what we don't know. Only God knows the beginning from the end, the heart and motives, right and wrong.

4) Lack of trust, ungodly control and perhaps pride are the struggles that I really need to face in order to overcome the desire at times to be right.

So what am I going to do about all this?  God helping me, I am going to keep a positive attitude, continuing to focus first on doing right by God then by others but with a glad heart. I am going to address the specks in my own eyes. Most importantly I am going to pray through every situation, trusting that God is in control.  He is a God of justice and really doesn't need or want me getting in the way.  He will deal with each situation, as need be, and in the end Justice will prevail. I am going to let go and let God. Stop trying to do it my way and let God lead, obedient to step up and speak out if He is so calls me to. Wow what a load off my shoulders, one that I was never meant to be placed there in the first place.

To this end I recently set aside the need to be right and have it acknowledged that I was wronged in a personal situation.  Instead I am committed to doing right - because that is the right thing to do for all involved. I can say that it was indeed a liberating experience, that I hope to continue in all areas of my life for all the days to come.

God's word and good advice has satisfied my soul saying "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not grow weary" Galatians 6:0 

DO RIGHT and YOU WILL BE RIGHT

Get by With a Little Help From My Friends

As I shared in an earlier post, I visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington on Wednesday.  As I came to the end of the exhibits, I decide to stop and watch the closing movie. It was a documentary containing interviews with a number of survivors of the holocaust sharing their personal memories and stories.

The importance of friendship was evident in every story.  Often the only hope and strength they had was each other. They referred to the friends they made in the concentration camp, as their camp family. One lady recounted a friendship she quickly formed with another young girl in the concentration camps.  Food was sparse and if one would get a little more because of the extra work they had done, they would be certain to share it with the other.  She said I would mark the half way point of the bowl, and I would get my spoon as close to that halfway point as possible, ensuring I got my every morsel, but never a spoonful more.  I would never rob my friend and she would never cheat me. "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor" ~Proverbs 22:9.   My experience is that those who have little give much. People who themselves are struggling are the first to ensure that others are not.  I am reminded of the young boy in Matthew 14 who offered up his few loaves and fishes in order that all might eat. I have seen this time and time again, in Africa, Cambodia, New Orleans and while volunteering in homeless & street ministry.  In the actions of all these selfless people, my favourite verse, 1 John 3:16-18 is lived out "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" 

The most powerful story in the documentary was told by "Stanley", a gentleman who was sent to the concentration camp at the age of 17.  When a 10 year old boy named "Daniel" arrived at the concentration camp, one of the first people he met was Stanley.  He asked him why he was just brought to the camp, and Stanley told him it was because he was Jewish,. At this Daniel asked what is a Jew?  Stanley told him it was because he was circumcised that he was there, because he was born a Jew.  David however, still did not understand why he was being held in this prison.  As Stanley, now a big strong man, recalled their first meeting that fateful day, he kept emphasizing the fact that David was only 10 years old, as he did, he broke into tears and so did most of us watching.

Stanley went on to tell of the death march that he and David were forced to go on.  Death marches were an evacuation, by foot, of all prisoners from the concentration camps  in an effort to avoid the incoming liberation armies.  Prisoners were brutally mistreated on these marches.  Often having to walk through snow, survivors talked of seeing friends snap their toes off like twigs.  Many prisoners died of exhaustion, starvation or exposure, during the marches held from 1944-1945.  Those who simply collapsed or could not go on were shot dead.  Some prisoners would walk 4 in a line, 3 people holding one person up allowing them to sleep in rotation. "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 

On this particular march they made a rare stop at a farm to rest.  The owner of the farm, a Czech, had taken pity on David and pleaded with the officers to allow him to provide the boy something to eat.  The SS soldiers agreed, so the farmer gave David hot potatoes, which in turn he would race back and forth to bring to Stanley.  A while later they were set to continue marching, but Stanley had a plan.  He explained to David that the farmer liked him, and that he needed to stay at the farm.  He would hide him in the pig farm and cover him with hay.  David refused, saying he wanted to stay with Stanley, that he would not leave him.  So Stanley yelled at him, and told him he did not want him following him, to leave him alone and stay at the farm.  Then he took him to the barn and hid him in the hay, trusting the farmer would take care of him. David fought him the whole way, not wanting to leave Stanley, knowing  that this would be the last time they would see each other.  Stanley closed his interview with  "I hope he is alive and well somewhere today" and again broke into tears.  Stanley saved David's life at the peril of His own.  He cared for that young boy so much that he was willing to risk His life so that David might be saved.

If it were not for the loyalty of the friends found in the camps, those that did survive probably wouldn't have. "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." Proverbs 17:17.  If it were not for the friends God has placed in my life, I know for certain I would not have made it to where I am today. Sometimes  I wonder if I would have survived let alone thrived without them. We can not make it through life alone.  In the words of Joe Cocker  "[we all] get by with a little help from [our] friends", those people God places in our life, to be His hands and feet. Where would David be without Jonathan, Timothy without Paul, Ruth without Naomi. Where would we be without Jesus, a friend who sticks closer than a brother?

Have You Ever Been Punished for Something You Didn't Do?

My friends Jenn and Chester, who I am visiting in Delaware this week, had to work today, so I decided to take a road trip to Washington DC.  It was a fabulous experience.  I got to see the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, The Capital Building, a Smithsonian Art Museum and I did a walking tour of most of the popular buildings. The place that affected me the most was the Holocaust museum.  I knew that it was going to impact me but not nearly as deeply as it did. I ran through a gamut of emotions, during the 4 hours I was there, anger and sadness being the prominent ones.

The first exhibit I entered was an interactive walk through of the life of a young Jewish boy named David.  It is designed for young students and was incredibly well staged. It starts with David asking "Have you ever been punished for something you didn't do? I was". Then the journey begins in his home where he played with friends from his neighbourhood, and takes you through the community as the Nazi Regime takes over, then the ghetto he was placed in and it ended with him as a young survivor leaving the concentration camp.  I went through this twice, and both times it had me in tears.

After this I circled through the exhibits that began on the 4th floor and ended on the first.  I read every story and fact that accompanied the photos, artefacts, first hand audio accounts, and disturbing video footage from the concentration camps themselves.  Again I was left disgusted, overwhelmed, heart broken and I think most of all angry.  That was the emotion that kept welling up as I walked through the museum - ANGER!  I kept thinking how could this happen, how could it be ignored and allowed to go that far (learning that the US and other countries had opportunities to step in and help in a myriad of ways but did not).   What is worse is that history continues to repeat itself, even in my generation! Rwanda and Darfur are genocides comparable to the moral repugnancy of the Holocaust.   It is abhorrent that this is allowed to happen.  It is disgusting that it is not shut down at first thought let alone the first dead innocent. It is inexcusable and I am certain God will not be mute on judgment day, when it comes to our silence and inaction in this matter!  Perhaps this is where we should expect to be "punished" for something we didn't do  - because of what we didn't do,  "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" Isaiah 58:6 "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." Psalm 82:3 "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

The exhibits end with a video of survivors of the holocaust. sharing personal experiences.  Stories expressing the reality of loss, but so too the strength of faith and the power of friendship and loyalty. As the video comes to a close, one woman beseeches generations now and to come "Remember our stories and stand up to any form of persecution"

Martin Luther King Jr. who's life was celebrated on Monday, here in the USA is well known for speaking against the attitudes and ignorance that contributes to these atrocities.  "Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal." "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." and "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."  His kicker quote in regards to all this "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."

There were so many powerful moments, I would love to share.  So many lessons worth passing on, but this is a forum better suited to shorter messages. So the stories and lessons will be presented individually over the days and weeks to come, an homage to those in the video and a sort of  reminder to remember.

 Deuteronomy 4:9

Do This and You Will Live

Yesterday was a government holiday here in the USA.  It was Martin Luther King day, a day set aside to honour one of the greatest civil rights leaders the world has ever known.  I have always admired Dr. Martin Luther King.  Did you know he skipped ninth and twelth grade and started college at age 15, graduating with a Bachelors in Sociology, Bachelor of Divinity and Doctorate of Philosophy? He was inspired by many people, including Ghandi. He had the privilege of  going to India in 1959 to visit Ghandi. This meeting profoundly affected him and deepened his passion for and commitment to non-violent resistance.  He was the youngest person to ever win the Nobel peace prize for his work to end racial segragation and discrimination.   He was also a Baptisit Minister who focused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam war from a faith perspective. At 6:01 p.m. April 4, 1986 Martin Luther King was assasinated with a single bullet while standing on the balcony of his Hotel room.

The man was a great preacher and his sermons are incredible.  I decided that today, and perhaps throughout this week, I would post a blog initiated by one of his quotes, beginning with the following one:

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

The parable of the good Samaritan, found in the book of Luke Chapter 10 verses 25-37,  was an illustration Jesus shared to drive home the biblical truth that kindness and goodness should never be witheld from anyone but instead made available to all. In the story, a Jewish man is attacked by bandits, robbing him of all he had and leaving him for dead. As he lay there dying a priest sees him, but purposely crosses over to the other side of the road to avoid him.  Then one of his kinsmen, a Levite, sees him writhing in agony, but also passes him by. Then a Samaritan, (who are despised by the Jews) comes along and feels compassion for the man, not only does he bandage his wounds, but he takes him to an inn, paying the innkeeper to take care of the man, promising to come back should it cost any more than what he has given to meet the needs of the wounded Jewish man. At the end of the illustration Jesus asks the listener "“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?”  The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”  Jesus wants us to understand that regardless of colour, religious belief, sexual orientation, style of dress, intelligence, wealth or poverty, everyone is our neighbour.  When it comes to the greatest commandment "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbour as yourself"  Our neighbour applies to everyone who comes across our path!

Martin Luther King Jr. poignantly addresses the concerns that many have when it comes to helping others, befriending others, loving on others.  If I do this what will happen to me?  What will people think of me? How will I be affected? What will it cost me? His profound response is that our first questions should be how will others be affected if we choose to not care for them  and love on them. 

The parable of the good samaritan was Jesus' response to a religious expert who asked him "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”  

Not only does our disobedience to the greatest commandment negatively affect others, but ourselves as well. What consequences will we face, not only temporal or eternal if we do not help, befriend and love on those God brings across our path? What will ultimately cost you more, taking the time and initiative to love on others or ignoring the greatest commandment by not doing so.  Can we afford to not love our neighbour as ourself?

The Modern Leper

I just finished reading "Everybody Wants to Change the World, Practical Ideas for Social Justice".  It was a good book touching on a number of justice issues. It provides the reader resources for how they might get involved in implementing positive social change, from a biblical perspective.

 
Chapter 7 entitled "The Sick and Disabled", particularly impacted me.  This chapter focused on the AIDS epidemic and as I read, I learned that Worlds Aids Day falls on December 1st. This is an issue very close to my heart, having seen the affects of AIDS first hand in Africa and just recently returning from serving in the AIDS hospice in Cambodia. In fact, my mind immediately started to crunch the numbers, trying to establish when it was that I was in Cambodia.  I quickly realized that December 1st was the day my mind was held captive on the long bus ride back to Thailand, as I worked through copious scenarios, trying to establish, if and how I could continue to serve those I met in the Poi Pet AIDS hospice.  With offer and opportunity, I  felt compelled to remain in Cambodia serving at the hospice.  The connections I made there were powerful, the stories unforgettable.

Before I share a personal story, let me establish for you some facts. I looked up the UN Global report on Aids which is issued every 2 years (2008) and found the following. An estimated 33 million people were living with HIV in 2007. There were 2.7 million new HIV infections and 2 million AIDS-related deaths last year and of those 500,000 were children. "In some regions of the world entire villages have been decimated in places where parents, teachers, administrators and commerce leaders succumbed to the disease."  I witnessed this first hand in Malawi, where children living with AIDS were orphaned because their parents had succumbed to the same disease.  This left a population of the very young and very old.  Where the very old would take care of the very young, until they themselves passed on, leaving children raising children.

AIDS is not just a 3rd world issue.  In North America approx. 1.2 million people are living with AIDS. In 2007 alone, there were 54,000 new infections and 23,000 deaths.

Such a significant decimation of human life and yet since the diseases' sinister inception, many maintain the same attitudes of those in the days of Jesus who responded to the lepers  with  "unclean! unclean! unclean! "Clear the way! Don't close enough to touch them or you yourself may becoming infected! Yet Jesus held the hands of the lepers.  He touched them, soothed them and comforted them."

This was my blessed and privileged experience in Cambodia to care for the least of these. It was at the Cambodian AIDS hospice that I saw first hand and got to live out the calling that Mother Teresa so eloquently demonstrated, coming alongside those in need, the oppressed and dying. Enabling them to live with hope and die with dignity. Galatians 6:2-3 reads "Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed.  Share their burdens and so complete Christ's law.  If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived."    

While the patients could stay at the rudimentary hospice free of charge they had no food or company, unless a friend or caring person would drop some by. I only saw one visitor for one lady the week I was there.  So we would go to the market each day to get them juice and food. I  had the privilege of praying with them, sitting with them, getting a cold clothe for their head when they ran a fever, making them laugh, hugging them and loving on them.

During my week there, I made a connection with each lady.  One woman was very sick, I did not think she would live to see the end of the week.  She had contracted AIDS from her husband, a Cambodian police officer who had engaged in a number of extra-marital affairs.  We prayed for and over her and by the end of the week, she had enough strength and energy to get out of bed and walk. 

There was another young lady named Lee Lee, who I became quite close with. She is 30 years old, though to look at her you might think her much younger.  As I understood it, she came to Poi Pet when her boyfriend got work there, and either he forced her to or she felt she had to, begin prostituting herself.  She had 7-8 boyfriends which is how she contracted AIDS.  When her boyfriend found out he left her alone in Poi Pet.

Some days she seemed to have lots of energy, especially in the mornings.  In the evenings however, she was a completely different person, no energy and in such pain that she would whimper.  She could not stand on her own without my help to get her to the washroom. 

Lee Lee asked me by making a cross with her fingers if I was a Christian, to which I replied yes.  The verse  John 13:34-35 immediately came to mind “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." We prayed together and I prayed that if she did not have a personal relationship with Christ that she would come to know the love, grace, and life saving power of our heavenly Father. We continued our time together over the week singing Jingle Bells me in Canadian her in Kamir.  I taught her how to say each of our facial features in English.  I massaged her arms and rubbed her back.  I tried to bring her as much comfort as I could. The night before we were to leave we were blessed to have Selah join us as an interpreter.  She informed me that Lee Lee wanted me to stay and that she loved me.  This pretty much broke me, because that morning all my heart felt compelled to do, was stay and serve in the clinic and village churches until she and the others I had connected with passed on.  I told her I loved her too. As we were leaving that evening, a woman beckoned Selah and I aside from our group. I came to understand that she was the nurse at the hospice. She spoke to me through the interpreter, explaining  that they and the girls would benefit from my staying and serving in the clinic for 3 months, which only just continued to rip my heart open.   

The next morning we had to leave. Before we did, we stopped into the Aids clinic to say goodbye and drop off more food and juice for each of the ladies.  The doctor was in that morning and it was then that I realized just what a connection I had made with Lee Lee. The doctor was putting in an intravenous, causing Lee Lee great pain.  I could see her forearm swelling up as he forced the liquid into it and I thought something did not seem right, but I am no doctor, so I held my tongue. One of hospice volunteers came by and was fiddling with the IV, it was apparent it was not right.  At the doctors instruction he began to remove it, Lee Lee writhing in pain as blood began to spew out her arm. At this point I got up from her bed and went to the doctor, emphatically pointing towards her, speaking in a language he did not understand, wanting him to realize this is not okay.  Like a mother coming to the defence of a hurting child, I was not even conscious of what I was doing, but someone was not meeting the needs of someone I had grown to care for and that was not okay.   

I never did give much thought to the fact that she had sold herself to men. I was not concerned about the fact that she had Aids when I hugged her, when she would kiss my cheek, when blood was coming out of her arm.  Lee Lee was my friend, she was a child of God and she deserved LOVE!  I left Lee Lee, the other girls, the Aids Clinic and the villages of Cambodia that morning but they are forever in my heart and prayers.

We are advised in James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  Now that does not mean that everyone needs to go half way across the world to do it - unless God is calling you to - and He may be.  You can live it right where you are. My question is "are you?"  Who is your Lee Lee? Even here in Canada God has blessed us with Lee Lee's, people who are forgotten, dismissed, oppressed, lonely, hurting and dying.  Saved yet or not they are God's children and unless they experience the love of God through us, and  are extended the same love, grace and mercy that was graciously given to us then they may be lost forever. 

All the programs, all the Sunday morning services, all the churches in the world, mean nothing if we are not loving and serving others to God's glory.  Sermons don't save - programs don't save.  It's the word of God in action that draws people to Christ.  Love of God and Others will redeem the world.

RESOLUTIONS - For me or You?

Over the years I have made many a New Years resolution and despite my initial eagerness and determination a few months down the road I had forgotten all about them. Sure there may have been the one here and there that stuck, but for the most part it was a futile attempt in self deprivation.

So I had decided that this year, I would not make any new years resolutions, at least none that I would vocalize out loud, so as to keep the embarrassment of perceived failure a private versus public one ;) However something happened a couple days ago that changed this.

I was stopped at a red light and noticed a woman walking across the intersection to her car parked on the side of the road, hood up. I figured she probably didn't have a cell phone and had walked across to one of the businesses to place a call for help.  She opened the drivers side door and placed her purse inside, preparing I suppose for the wait.  In that moment a thought flittered through my mind, I should stop and see if everything is okay, if there is anything I can do to help.  Perhaps she would appreciate some company while she waits, or the comfort of waiting in a warm vehicle.  Then the light changed to green and I was on my way.

A missed opportunity like so many others, that I let go by out of fear of rejection or looking silly, out of selfishness, out of ignorance, out of judgment or pride.  A missed opportunity to enter into relationship.  I truly believe that we will be judged on one thing and one thing only How we love God and How we love others. Jesus answered "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." ~Luke 10:27. I believe that lives are changed when we enter into relationships with people.  That how we love others IS how we love God. Yet my actions that day, did not align with my beliefs.  How did I love God in that moment?  How did I love on the least of those in need? "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."; "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." ~ Matthew 25:40 & 45

So I decided as I continued on my drive that in 2010 I would make it my "resolution" to take every opportunity I am provided to enter into relationship with people, if even just for a moment. As I reflect on this I realize, we are given so many of those simple moments. When the thought to go knock on my neighbours door comes to mind, I will act on it.  When I see someone parked, stranded at the side of the road alone waiting for help, I will stop to see if I can be of assistance.  When I see a mom obviously overwhelmed in a grocery store with a busy child in one hand and a baby in the other, I will offer to help.  I am not sure what it will look like from day to day, but I will keep my eyes and heart open, and God helping me I will swallow my fear, pride and selfishness be brave, and who knows what simple wonders will transpire. :D

So I guess my resolution for 2010 is this "To fulfill a resolution that matters to someone besides myself"

What Resolutions could we make in 2010 that matter to someone besides ourselves, that make a difference in someone else's life?

...I am off to a wedding now, so I can almost assure you that tomorrow's entry will have to do with marriage and my being single at 34. HAPPY NEW YEAR!