What Now?

“Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” (Exodus 4:12 NLT)

Moses noticed the heavy burdens of the Israelites. He heard God’s call to help the vulnerable. Yet, Moses was reluctant to step forward and speak up for the powerless. He felt ill-equipped. He didn’t know what to say or do to change entrenched cultural attitudes. Self-doubt and fear held him back. BUT God called Moses out on his excuses and objections. HE told Moses to quit stalling and get going. God would provide the right words, contacts, and directions at each step. 

The scapegoating of immigrants for all of society’s current problems, the endemic prejudice against people of color, and the indifference of the privileged to the plight of the marginalized--is hard to ignore. Yet, I am reluctant to stick my neck out and become a target for hate. My desire for comfort and security makes me want to keep my head down and look away--to be a model citizen who never challenges the system. I am aware that my complacency makes me a complicit participant in society’s evils, an accessory to the crime. 

Self-doubt and fear, camouflaged as humility, hold me back from speaking out against injustice. I hear a voice deep within me, calling me to set aside my excuses, to quit stalling and get moving. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do as one individual. I am ill-equipped and powerless against the system. BUT GOD is not. 

Lord, you know that I lack courage. Honestly, I wish You would bug someone else about all of this and leave me alone! However, I am sure You have your reasons. I shall trust You to provide me with whatever is needed to participate in Your plan.

From Apathy to Empathy

“Years later, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people, and took notice of their heavy burdens. He saw an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew, one of his own people.” (Exodus 2:11 ISV)

Moses witnessed the atrocities committed against the Israelites. He could have continued to ignore it. After all, it didn’t affect him directly. He was assimilated and accepted by the privileged class. But something in Moses changed. He grew up. He took notice of the injustice. He woke up from the apathy of affluence and felt empathy toward the oppressed.  

We see images of injustice all around us. Most of us feel a tug in our hearts when witnessing suffering, but we shrug it off. We move on to our own concerns, convinced that we are powerless against the system. We avert our eyes and minds from the plight of the marginalized, occupying ourselves with distractions. 

What causes a person to shift from indifference to compassion? The Spirit of God opens our eyes and transforms our hearts. We cannot unsee what we have seen through God’s eyes. Neglecting the vulnerable and minding our own business is no longer an option. Grace replaces apathy. As we conform to Christ’s likeness, we learn to be merciful. We see ourselves in the displaced immigrant and the suffering child. Radical compassion takes hold and doesn’t let go. 

Turning Point

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless.” (Isaiah 1:17 NIV)

I saw a video today that moved me profoundly. A scared little girl, whose father is being detained by immigration officials, spills all her thoughts and emotions while sobbing uncontrollably. She voices what millions of immigrants in the U.S. are feeling--terrified, powerless, oppressed, unworthy.

The current persecution of immigrants, whether legal or illegal, has to be shocking to every decent human being. How can anyone ignore or justify treating others as subhuman? There has to be a turning point soon. As Winston Churchill said: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing--after they’ve tried everything else.” I believe that what is represented by this period in history is an anomaly, that America is better than this. It has to be! 

During the Civil Rights Movement, certain images of injustice--like the police turning dogs and fire hoses on protestors and businesses that refused to serve people of color--turned public opinion. The laws that supported segregation were changed, because the majority of voters realized that they were inhumane. I pray that racialized immigration policies will soon be a thing of the past. I hope that we will learn to do right, seek justice, defend the oppressed, and take up the cause of the powerless. 

Repudiating Grace

“Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace.” (Galatians 2:21 MSG)

Religion can provide societies with a set of moral principles which lead to orderly citizens. Rules and regulations are solid tools for community building. Peer-pleasing, appearing righteous, and wanting to fit in can all be powerful motives to identify with a particular religion.  Traditions can be good, but they don’t bring us any closer to God. 

A personal relationship with God is built on trust, love, and surrender. It is neither ego-centered nor other-centered; Christ becomes central. Real intimacy is often private. To know and be known--that is the only goal. We recognize that we are loved and accepted despite our unworthiness. A grace-based faith is saturated with gratitude, adoration, and devotion. To go back to an old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in our relationship with God. Let us not repudiate God’s grace!

The Power of Bold Faith

Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. (Hebrews 11:1 TPT) 

I worked in a laboratory for several years. I spent my days peering through a microscope, analyzing human chromosomes. I had been trained to culture and stain specimens properly, so that the cells revealed their chromosomal structure. I also had access to powerful microscopes that allowed me to see details that most people never get to see. I no longer work in a lab, so I don’t have this privilege anymore. However, I know that all humans have chromosomes in their cells. I don’t have to see your blood under a microscope to assure you of this fact. It may be difficult for those who have never had my work experience to be as sure of this truth. Second-hand information cannot imbue the same level of certainty as first-hand knowledge .

Faith reveals that which is invisible to the naked eye. It provides supernatural magnification, bringing Christ and His power into focus. Faith is non-transferable; each person must experience it for himself. Second-hand faith does not provide the same conviction as first-hand awareness. The experience of personal faith grants the assurance of God’s presence; it doesn’t guarantee that everything will work out according to our wishes. Yet, there is power in bold trust. Faith gives us the confidence to transfer all our weight onto the Lord, knowing that He is dependable and capable. 

Check Your Form

“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. (2 Corinthians 13:5-9 MSG)

Long distance runners can lose proper form when they are tired. Their shoulders slump, their cadence decreases--which lead to a shuffling gait. Good athletes recognize when this happens and correct their form. They intentionally straighten their crumpled torso, pull their shoulders back, and push off with their toes. This requires focus and discipline. 

The faith journey requires endurance and focus. In the beginning, we are all excited and eager. However, it’s natural to feel fatigued as time goes by. Our trust weakens, hope crumbles, and convictions slacken. As followers of Christ, we cannot drift along mindlessly, taking everything for granted.  We must test ourselves to make sure we are solid in faith. We have to give ourselves regular checkups and correct our form when necessary. Harness every ounce of wonder, trust, devotion, discipline, steadfastness, and virtue. Fight the good fight. Finish strong. 

Caretaking Pervert

“Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared. But Martha became exasperated by finishing the numerous household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself? You should tell her to get up and help me.” (Luke 10:39-40 TPT)

Author and therapist Melody Beattie describes caretaking as a symptom of codependency. Caretakers seek out people to rescue. Being recognized as useful and helpful raises their self-esteem. Unfortunately, this requires diminishing the person they are taking care of as helpless, incompetent, or incapable. 

“Caretaking perverts Biblical messages about giving, loving, and helping.” (Melody Beattie, Codependent No More)

Caretaking perverts are addicted to feeling needed and appreciated. Their giving is motivated by their desire to feel significant, dutiful, and righteous. They feel peeved when those whom they help do not acknowledge their usefulness. This leads to resentment. 

“The Lord answered her, ‘Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they really that important? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.’” (Luke 10:41-42 TPT)

Caretaking can become a distraction, pulling us away from our true calling. It might make us feel important temporarily, but the fix doesn’t last long. Our significance does not come from our usefulness. Our worthiness is inherent. Christ is with us and within us.