I thought of this yesterday on the way to work. A song came on the radio in the car and it reminded me of something that happened way back in my sophomore year at Liberty (2008-2009, in case you were wondering). My roommate's boyfriend was going through a difficult time of repentance...my roommate had heard this song (the same one I heard on the radio yesterday) that she shared with him, because it applied to his situation...she was driving over to his apartment one day and the song came on the radio...the same day, when she came back to the dorm, I was listening to that same song on my computer. This instigated her telling me the whole story and us both being amazed by God in that moment, which He had clearly orchestrated.
Since that time, I have experienced countless "God moments." God has never ceased to amaze me by how He can knit seemingly separate situations into one ordained moment. However, yesterday, when I heard that song on the way to work, I realized that I am no longer surprised when He does things like that. I am not saying that it is a good thing or a bad thing...I am just saying that sometimes when we feel like God is not working in our lives, it is because we have become so used to Him working that we almost don't acknowledge His work anymore. We just need to be careful that we do not let this turn into apathy towards His hands in our lives, or apathy towards reading the Bible (especially passages that we have read countless times, like the crucifixion...the most incredible story ever told), or apathy towards our brothers and sisters in Christ who just can't seem to climb above certain struggles.
Open your eyes, and be amazed.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Humanitarianism.
Humanitarianism (n): the belief that life should be a string of "good deeds" performed for the less fortunate
Yes, I just made that up.
Everywhere we look, there are humanitarian aid organizations and causes. There are aid organizations focused on water, shoes, medical supplies, food, human trafficking, child soldiers...the list goes on. They all have one thing in common: they all believe that the people they are helping cannot have a full life without the water, shoes, medical supplies, food, etc. that the organization provides. There is nothing wrong with that.
However, it is important for advocates of these organizations to realize that if you give a child shoes, but no water or food, their life is still not full. If you give them food, but no water or protection from human trafficking, their life is still not full. If you give them medical supplies, but no food or water, their life is still not full. In fact, if you give a child water, shoes, food, medical supplies, AND protection from human trafficking and being forced to be a child soldier, their life would still not be full.
It is easy to get caught up in being an advocate for a certain cause (or number of causes) without understanding your motivation. For many people, humanitarianism can become a way of life...fighting against the injustices of those who cannot fight for themselves. This can become a completely amoral practice. Just as someone can attend church without letting the words of the sermon truly sink in, someone involved in a humanitarian aid organization can lose sight of their true motivation.
Let's think about this: for most of Biblical history, the church has been responsible for caring for orphans and widows; essentially, those who cannot care for themselves. Fast forward to today: think of the most prominent humanitarian aid organizations. Are they run/based/supported by the church, or are they founded by people separate from the church? Don't get me wrong...there are many Christian humanitarian aid organizations (including the place where I work)...but the most well-known and "popular" with most of American society lack relgious affiliations.
I think this is a sad reality in American society...people do not seem to connect aid work with the one "aid" that people really need. Yes, we need to satisfy their hunger and thirst...but if we extend their lives for a few years only for them to die without knowing the love of Jesus Christ, we have completely failed our humanitarian aid mission.
In fact, if you give a child water, shoes, food, medical supplies, AND protection from human trafficking and being forced to be a child soldier, their life would still not be full.
They need Jesus!
Yes, I just made that up.
Everywhere we look, there are humanitarian aid organizations and causes. There are aid organizations focused on water, shoes, medical supplies, food, human trafficking, child soldiers...the list goes on. They all have one thing in common: they all believe that the people they are helping cannot have a full life without the water, shoes, medical supplies, food, etc. that the organization provides. There is nothing wrong with that.
However, it is important for advocates of these organizations to realize that if you give a child shoes, but no water or food, their life is still not full. If you give them food, but no water or protection from human trafficking, their life is still not full. If you give them medical supplies, but no food or water, their life is still not full. In fact, if you give a child water, shoes, food, medical supplies, AND protection from human trafficking and being forced to be a child soldier, their life would still not be full.
It is easy to get caught up in being an advocate for a certain cause (or number of causes) without understanding your motivation. For many people, humanitarianism can become a way of life...fighting against the injustices of those who cannot fight for themselves. This can become a completely amoral practice. Just as someone can attend church without letting the words of the sermon truly sink in, someone involved in a humanitarian aid organization can lose sight of their true motivation.
Let's think about this: for most of Biblical history, the church has been responsible for caring for orphans and widows; essentially, those who cannot care for themselves. Fast forward to today: think of the most prominent humanitarian aid organizations. Are they run/based/supported by the church, or are they founded by people separate from the church? Don't get me wrong...there are many Christian humanitarian aid organizations (including the place where I work)...but the most well-known and "popular" with most of American society lack relgious affiliations.
I think this is a sad reality in American society...people do not seem to connect aid work with the one "aid" that people really need. Yes, we need to satisfy their hunger and thirst...but if we extend their lives for a few years only for them to die without knowing the love of Jesus Christ, we have completely failed our humanitarian aid mission.
In fact, if you give a child water, shoes, food, medical supplies, AND protection from human trafficking and being forced to be a child soldier, their life would still not be full.
They need Jesus!
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