"...the ladies are all really hard workers. They see the value in earning their own living in an honorable way and taking care of their kids. They sew two times a week, and many of them work other odd jobs for extra income. They don't have electricity in their village, and they have to walk to the wells to get clean water. They are all working hard at sending their kids to school, and two of them are going back to school themselves to finish! They have learned to care about each other, and share and give..."
"...they don't have electricity, and they have to walk to the wells to get water..."
It seemed like that's all she'd picked up from my whole paragraph about my week in the Dominican Republic with the Cercadillo Project.
Then, she says: "Maybe they should come to America. Would they ever consider doing that?"
As if America is the panacea for all that ails the world. As if we have it all figured out. As if going without electricity and running water would make life not worth living. As if you should leave your home, your family, and everything you've ever known to have access to electricity (to power things your don't have).
It's easy to look at my own comfortable life and at the comfortable lives of many of my friends and elevate 'Merica to the Queen of all nations. And I'm guilty of doing that. Besides, we've set a precedent: we rush around in our Captain America facade and "fix" other countries' political, economic, and social problems all the time. (We also make sure we can ditch quickly before the happily ever after fades...)
But you know, we should heed Jesus' words about the speck versus the log. We have a log sticking clear out the back of our head. Sure, we have more people living above the poverty line fiscally than most other places, but... fiscally. Monetarily. Resource-wise. Possessions-wise.
But we live in a house of cards, mod-podged with pretty paper on the outside.
Kids are killing themselves because they can't handle life.
Families are splitting up, leaving children devastated.
Spouses are abused, and it's glorified in our media and entertainment industries.
Abortion makes murder all ok.
A quarter million children enter the foster care system every year.
The amount of drug-related deaths each month in my tiny city alone is insane.
As if electricity can cover over all that and make it all ok. As if running water can heal broken souls and crush sin.
Your neighbors may flip a switch or turn on a faucet without a second thought, but are they broke where it matters? America can't fix the broken. Only Jesus can do that.
"...they don't have electricity, and they have to walk to the wells to get water..."
It seemed like that's all she'd picked up from my whole paragraph about my week in the Dominican Republic with the Cercadillo Project.
Then, she says: "Maybe they should come to America. Would they ever consider doing that?"
As if America is the panacea for all that ails the world. As if we have it all figured out. As if going without electricity and running water would make life not worth living. As if you should leave your home, your family, and everything you've ever known to have access to electricity (to power things your don't have).
It's easy to look at my own comfortable life and at the comfortable lives of many of my friends and elevate 'Merica to the Queen of all nations. And I'm guilty of doing that. Besides, we've set a precedent: we rush around in our Captain America facade and "fix" other countries' political, economic, and social problems all the time. (We also make sure we can ditch quickly before the happily ever after fades...)
But you know, we should heed Jesus' words about the speck versus the log. We have a log sticking clear out the back of our head. Sure, we have more people living above the poverty line fiscally than most other places, but... fiscally. Monetarily. Resource-wise. Possessions-wise.
But we live in a house of cards, mod-podged with pretty paper on the outside.
Kids are killing themselves because they can't handle life.
Families are splitting up, leaving children devastated.
Spouses are abused, and it's glorified in our media and entertainment industries.
Abortion makes murder all ok.
A quarter million children enter the foster care system every year.
The amount of drug-related deaths each month in my tiny city alone is insane.
As if electricity can cover over all that and make it all ok. As if running water can heal broken souls and crush sin.
Your neighbors may flip a switch or turn on a faucet without a second thought, but are they broke where it matters? America can't fix the broken. Only Jesus can do that.
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