to love our neighbor
It all feels overwhelming sometimes, doesn’t it? The headlines, the statistics, the almost routine mention of another capsized boat or a small group of sojourners’ bodies found dead along the border of two countries. We Americans are generally a people of short attention spans: rocked and saddened over Aylan’s little body one day, moving on to a celebrity’s fall from grace or our football team’s poor performance the next. This mostly steady emotional barometer towards the plight of so much of the world tends to mark the cadence of our lives; we give a nod or acknowledgment to headlines and news stories that, while they should shock us, leave us with a mostly unmoving response. Or far worse, no response at all. And then, we carry on.
This cannot be. It can’t. I am begging you, friends, to respond.
But how? How!? What can I do about ISIS? President Al-Assad? The Middle East? I hear these questions, they resound in my mind, too. And they are valid: most of us are not in any sort of position to speak to these loaded political and governmental concerns and we will likely never be.
But let’s not do something: let’s not, as Christ-followers, put our God on the same level as our politicians, weighing the power of each with equal belief and confidence. That’s not even a thing. Scripture tells the story of a God who has never once wavered in authority over all kingdoms and governments and leaders*. Never, not one time, has he not been in charge— and this is true in every generation, every pocket of history. It remains true today. So that is where I start, with a clear reminder to myself that the terror of my moment in history is not un-watched by the God of all history.
The next thing we can do is know. Stop looking away. Read the stories, as many of them as you can. Know that more than 12 million innocent men, women, and children have been forced from their homes in Syria. Sit with that number for a moment, will you? Really think about how many people that is. Or picture your hometown, the traffic and the grocery stores and the busyness of people moving from here to there; moms doing school drop-offs and parents heading to work, meeting friends for coffee and closing business deals… and now picture it silent. No food on the store shelves. No cars on the streets. No access to hospitals. Banks are closed. The water is shut off. Maybe the biggest buildings are bombed out or perhaps the terrorist group has forced everyone in to hiding. But there is nothing left of your life, and you find yourself having to answer questions like this: “do we take grandma with us as we flee or will she not make it anyway?” That’s not really a choice; it is a life-sentence to guilt no matter how one answers it. See this in your mind, friends, because it is real for millions of our global brothers and sisters right this moment.
Once you know, allow it to hurt. It is ok for someone else’s pain to hurt. I would argue that it is good. That hurting is the birthplace of compassion—the kind of compassion Jesus felt when he saw the hungry crowd**, the kind of compassion that means to “suffer with,” and the kind of compassion that makes a space in our lives for the Holy Spirit to come in and inspire. And that is where we respond with prayer. Just prayer. So simple, isn’t it? Oh, but so, so powerful, and perhaps the most important work we can do, if we truly believe in it. I think that it gives God the honor he is due when we tell him out loud that we trust him with all of this, and that we believe in him for justice.
When we go to scripture as our guide, we see thousands of years of men and women petitioning God for help, for answers, and for peace. We read the greatest writer of the new testament, the Apostle Paul, offering prayers for the hearers of his letters and begging for them for himself at the same time; praying for protection (2 Thessalonians 3:2), for grace (1 Corinthians 16:23), and for clarity and boldness in his words (Ephesians 6:19-20) so that the gospel might go forward and believers would multiply. If you are wondering how to start praying for Syria (or any number of injustices, countries, or people groups), may I humbly suggest that is a good model to begin with: protection in the face of danger, grace in the midst of chaos, clarity for those sharing the gospel and understanding for those hearing it. We do not know how our prayers will be answered but we know that they will be heard, and most assuredly, heard by the only One who is perfect and able to answer with flawless justice, impeccable timing, and eternal truth.
While I believe to my toes that prayer is the most important thing we can do for others, my hope is that as far as we are able, it is not the only thing we do for others. Let’s not scoff at sacrificial giving, either. That old Christian alliteration for stewardship applies perfectly here, because between our time, talents, and treasures we can all do something: are you a lawyer who can advocate for asylum? A doctor or nurse who can volunteer for a few weeks with any number of refugee agencies? A stay-at-home mom who can make room in her home for a refugee family (or an orphan, a single mom, anyone) for a few months? I promise if you want a role in helping—with one of the statistically greatest humanitarian crises of our time, or any number of equally heart-breaking injustices— start asking questions and you will find one. And there is also giving our money, which often feels like the easy thing but it is no small thing. Because maybe you know someone willing to go, he just needs someone else willing to give. Or you read about the agencies doing great work but who are sorely under resourced and you give to meet a need and help spread the gospel. There are great people on the front lines but they are out of resources, leaving them with little capacity to help stop the hemorrhaging of the refugee crisis. Last week I read that on the Greek border refugee camps built for 500 people are housing 5000. Put this perspective in to our world: the house we comfortably live in with 5 people would all of a sudden have 50. Wouldn’t we all feel the sting and meaning of under resourced in a moment like that?
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I had the great privilege of speaking to the Chief Catalyst at World Vision last week, and the stories he told me after a trip to Lebanon to the refugee camp in Beirut are, in the truest sense, unbelievable. And I mean that. They are hard to believe. In his words, “Utterly beyond anyone’s capacity to take it in.” It’s crowded. Abuse is rampant. Food and water supplies are low, a thriving black market is gaining steam. Children are drawing pictures of their homes and remembering details like grenades scattered on the floor. For so many of the refugees, after three years away from everything they know and no real means to an end in sight, a catastrophic loss of hope has settled in. Truly, there are few things with more devastating consequences than that.
So what will we do? As some of the most resourced Christians on the planet, the answer simply cannot be nothing. And every agency on the frontlines, every humanitarian worker who has been there, every Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan, or other beautiful refugee face will beg you to not let that be the answer. We can do hard things, friends. But most certainly, we can do these things: Remember. Learn. Feel. Pray. Act.
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Want to do something right now?! My talented friend Margaret has created the adorable printable in the picture above to remind us to do the simple yet profound work of praying. It’s yours for a donation of $5, $10, $25 or $50 dollars. If you know me at all, you know that keeping your money will never be my style, and EVERY SINGLE PENNY of proceeds from these printables is going to World Vision. And I think we could make a teensy, tiny little dent, friends.
Print out your reminder and then do the most important work: prayer. Pray for the refugees and their loss of hope in the world to be found in Christ. Pray for the agencies and volunteers pouring themselves out. Pray for President Al-Assad. Pray for President Obama. Pray for your own ideas to grow. Pray for a small community of friends around you to encourage your creative passions and increase your capacity to give. Pray to feel this. Friends, let's talk to Jesus about it all and watch him work in our hearts and in the world. This story, and so many others riddled with the most nefarious acts humanity is possible of, are not unseen by him. In fact I believe his heart is broken over them. There is not a believer on the planet who has not been invited to be a part of his work in the world in some way. We can, y'all, and we must.
{Printables available October 28-November 6: TEN DAYS, y'all. Get yours. Print it. Share it. Pray out loud. Let's do something cool together}
*Because donators receive a printable, donations made through Just Enough Brave are NOT considered tax-deductible. If you would like your donation to be tax-deductible, please visit one of the organizations linked in this essay and donate straight to them.
Scripture references (worth memorizing!)
*Daniel 2:21
**Mark 6:34