This weekend I spent a lot of time just existing. It’s good to take some time off of writing to recharge the battery and refill the heart. In the midst of that, I found myself hurting. The more stories I read of misfortune, the more my heart hurts. I really question shouldn’t every Christian feel the same?
If you don’t care about Politics, know that Politics cares about you. Politics is the force that decides on how your life is affected daily. Many thought that the President does very little, but the President combined with the other branches of the Government does a lot. I’m struggling with the concept that we have so many “religious” people in power being perfectly fine with people dying in the streets.
I read something today about people living in Iran and how there are people dying from not being able to provide for themselves because the sanctions are so harsh. Poverty has become so intense that people are starving in the streets. Then, they talked about how the debate was between more missile/drone strikes or harsher sanctions. The writer questioned it all by saying, “Are the only options death and more death?” I cried on the inside.
What is going on that we value human life so little that we are okay with rationalizing the eradication of people? I’m talking about abroad and at home, we would rather focus on chasing the ever-moving goalpost of financial gain instead of lives. The amazing thing to me is when I talk to veterans, the moments they remember most fondly are when they meet the local children. It doesn’t matter where they meet them at, the kids always leave a mark on the war-torn soldiers in a positive way. This makes me reflect even harder on how we are essentially the same. We just all want to live happy, healthy, and free lives.
The breakdown comes when we go from thinking outward to only focusing on self. We have gotten to a point where the people who run our country care so much about acquiring more and enjoying their spoils, that they feel that anyone getting something is less for them. That is a problem from any religious standpoint and I am personally struggling with how to combat that. I can’t teach you how to care for others.
I feel that LGBT rights, immigration rights, quality education, mental health awareness, affordable housing, dealing with food deserts, police brutality, prison reform, access to healthcare, voting rights, minimum wage, racial equity and so many other issues should be common topics that everyone should worry about if you care about people. People being excluded from help and resources because they are barred from civic participation or their responses to extreme poverty. We have gotten to a point when we exclude others from society instead of helping them contribute. It’s times like this when I remember the WWJD “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets that were popular in the 90s. I haven’t figured out how but I do know he wouldn’t ignore it.
Turn Your Brightness Up!
#BeMagnificent🔆
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