Are we being deaf and blind towards the oppressed and the poor? The first time I heard about the drought and famine in Northern Africa was about a month ago, when in fact it has been there for months and reoccurring over the years. Being in one of the wealthiest and influential nations in the world, we have been blinded by our economic concerns lately. With debt ceiling and recovery plans for the economy, the horrors and nightmares in Africa have been underrated. We have cared less about others' physical disintegration than our own economic disintegration. We have cared less about children who have to walk 50 miles to seek shelter for days without any food, carrying the last of hope that they would be able to find some food at the refugee camp, yet are disappointed to discover that not enough aids have been sent there. The scariest thing is to read about the responses from common Americans to this famine through news articles. Have we become so harden in hearts?
Reading the news and looking through the pictures broke my heart. Forget about being Americans for a seconds, what have we as Christians, no, what have I done for the oppressed and the poor who are seeking hope, hope that cannot be found and satisfied by the temporal world, the hope that come from the message, the good news, of our Lord Jesus Christ? Where is the compassion for the lost when we know thousands of children and people die every day? When we are complaining about not having the same standards of life as before, have we even slightly thought about those who are living in suffering and hopelessness?
As I was looking forward to today to approach, I thought about the significance of this milestone. To most people, it might mean the final mark of being an adult, a grown-up, having the rights and responsibilities that come along with it. That was my initial excitement and expectation to it, but with the conviction from God in the light of the book of James, I want it to be a mark of being a grown-up in Christ, to take up the mission of Christ, spreading and sharing the love and compassion of Christ for people, the hope that comes from only the one and only God, the Great I AM. I want it to be a mark of grown-up in Christ, weeping and crying for the lost and the hopeless, not being numb by the reality of the suffering of the people but realizing their needs of hope. I want to be a mark of grown-up in Christ, living a true faith that produces work with love, actively praying and acting upon the problems according to His will.
In this case of drought in Northern Africa, I ask those who are planning to give me birthday presents to consider using the money to help the disaster there through the World Vision. It might seem insignificant and almost useless in compare to the tremendous need there, but I hope that we would take the opportunity to exercise our faith. Let’s not simply to hearer or talker of the word, but doer of the word.
amen