We're all human here. We all deserve love.
My heart has been heavy this last week. Every time I've logged onto social media I hear and see something to do with all that's been happening at the border. It causes me to feel all sorts of emotions not the least of which has been anger and outrage at what's been going on.
I'm sure most all of you have heard by now about what's happening at our boarders. Families are being ripped apart as soon as they cross over, seeking safety in our country and fleeing the violence in theirs. Except they don't exactly find the safety they were looking for here. Thanks to the Zero Tolerance Policy that has been put in place by our president, it no longer matters whether or not these people are seeking safety and/or asylum- they are all being treated as criminals, being put into prisons and being deported. This is wrong. This is not okay. It needs to stop. I can't even say "this is not who we are" because sadly, it is and has been. Our history as a country says so. I want to believe we are better than this. Each and every person has the right to be treated as a human; as one of God's precious creations.
Following the call to leave home is terrifying. I've know that one personally, and it's also a reason why I sympathize with those at our borders. They have left everything that they have ever known and left to go to a foreign country. They don't know what they will find when they get here but they have hope it will be better than what they have left. All they have is what they carry and their children. Can you imagine how terrifying that must be? To not know? But they have hope, and hope is a powerful thing. There are many, many stories about those who have left home for a better place, a safer country, for a new life. These people aren't any different.
We talk about loving the other, about loving our neighbor- immigrants are our neighbors. They deserve our love. I could talk all day about these things but I also think there is another element here that we are missing: loving our neighbor also means loving the president and those in the government that work for him and who are implementing these horrendous policies. We may intensely disagree and be enraged and feel all the emotions we are feeling right now but they are also still people- still human. They are still God's children. If we hate those who have done these terrible things to our immigrant neighbors are we really that much better than they are?
Not too long ago the church that I go to had a sermon series on building a bigger table. They talked about inviting in the stranger, about including the lonely, bringing in the immigrant, and literally building a bigger table to break bread and share food around. A bigger table isn't necessarily only a literal table- it's also a figurative one. It's about going through our daily lives and being intentional around those we meet and building relationships with one another. It's about going beyond just saying hello. About welcoming in the stranger. And I think this is such a beautiful thing. Creating a place where everyone is welcome is so vital and so needed. It's sad that we don't do this more often because we are afraid- afraid our house is too messy, that we are too messy, that we don't have enough time, or that we might not have enough food. None of that matters because what does matter is creating the space for a bigger table with one another. It's about love.
My challenge to everyone is to love. That's it. Just simply love one another. It won't be easy all the time. But sometimes love is the greatest gift you could give someone.
I'm sure most all of you have heard by now about what's happening at our boarders. Families are being ripped apart as soon as they cross over, seeking safety in our country and fleeing the violence in theirs. Except they don't exactly find the safety they were looking for here. Thanks to the Zero Tolerance Policy that has been put in place by our president, it no longer matters whether or not these people are seeking safety and/or asylum- they are all being treated as criminals, being put into prisons and being deported. This is wrong. This is not okay. It needs to stop. I can't even say "this is not who we are" because sadly, it is and has been. Our history as a country says so. I want to believe we are better than this. Each and every person has the right to be treated as a human; as one of God's precious creations.
Following the call to leave home is terrifying. I've know that one personally, and it's also a reason why I sympathize with those at our borders. They have left everything that they have ever known and left to go to a foreign country. They don't know what they will find when they get here but they have hope it will be better than what they have left. All they have is what they carry and their children. Can you imagine how terrifying that must be? To not know? But they have hope, and hope is a powerful thing. There are many, many stories about those who have left home for a better place, a safer country, for a new life. These people aren't any different.
We talk about loving the other, about loving our neighbor- immigrants are our neighbors. They deserve our love. I could talk all day about these things but I also think there is another element here that we are missing: loving our neighbor also means loving the president and those in the government that work for him and who are implementing these horrendous policies. We may intensely disagree and be enraged and feel all the emotions we are feeling right now but they are also still people- still human. They are still God's children. If we hate those who have done these terrible things to our immigrant neighbors are we really that much better than they are?
Not too long ago the church that I go to had a sermon series on building a bigger table. They talked about inviting in the stranger, about including the lonely, bringing in the immigrant, and literally building a bigger table to break bread and share food around. A bigger table isn't necessarily only a literal table- it's also a figurative one. It's about going through our daily lives and being intentional around those we meet and building relationships with one another. It's about going beyond just saying hello. About welcoming in the stranger. And I think this is such a beautiful thing. Creating a place where everyone is welcome is so vital and so needed. It's sad that we don't do this more often because we are afraid- afraid our house is too messy, that we are too messy, that we don't have enough time, or that we might not have enough food. None of that matters because what does matter is creating the space for a bigger table with one another. It's about love.
My challenge to everyone is to love. That's it. Just simply love one another. It won't be easy all the time. But sometimes love is the greatest gift you could give someone.
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