In my latest blog post I spoke about my feelings of excitement and anticipation, as well as stress and disconnection, in relation to my church’s upcoming vacation Bible school. Even in writing that entry I found myself relying on my own strengths to make things happen the way that I saw fit. If you have read much of writing you are probably picking up on that recurring theme. I am so grateful for a God who sees me attempting things on my own and doesn’t shake his head, roll his eyes, throw up his mighty hands, and walk away. I’m confident that without His constant nearness and redirection things would not be good. But they are. Because He is.
I want to tell you about one of my favorite parts of this past week. Our students – about 120 of them in all – rotated through jungle-clad, safari-named stations each evening. At the S.W.A.M.P. (Serving With A Mighty Purpose) our kids saw a a video each night that highlighted the work of Back2Back ministries and their director, Beth Guckenberger. These videos did a great job of showing the poverty and discouragement that orphans face, while also expressing the hope that we can share in Christ. Thanks to a Standard Publishing contest we had the privilege of Skyping with Beth on the last evening of our VBS. The previous evening we asked the kids to think about the things they had seen in the videos and to come up with a few questions that they would like to ask her. I went through the cards the following morning, fully expecting the “How old are you?” “Do you like Mexico”, and “Is the food good?” questions. I was taken aback when I came across 2 specific questions that I would like to address the here. The first one was more of a realization than a question. It read:
If one part of the world has parents and one part of it doesn’t, than it’s not fair to them.
My teacher response: This kid needs to accomplish a firmer grasp of how to form a question.
My children’s pastor response: Yay! They were listening! They weren’t distracted by the jungle decorations and learned that there are kids out there less fortunate than they are!
My brokenhearted, slightly delayed response: Whoa. They’e right. It’s not fair. What are we going to do?
This sense of responsibility is heavy. I know something is not fair. I have now shared that with those around me. So what are we going to do about it? Will we tuck it away as a VBS experience and one-night offering? Or will we be able to equip others – even little children – to actively seek justice for the oppressed? It is a daunting, but exhilarating task. It is thoughts that like these that continue to stoke the fire burning in me as we approach this coming year.
The second kid-response that grabbed me was one word:
Why?
I try not to overanalyze what my kids are asking, but in this case I cannot help but think that this should be our first gut-reaction when we are faced with the injustice around us. I don’t have an answer for this question. I can’t tell him why he was born into a Christian, American family while the little boy in the video was left alone in Africa when his mother died of AIDS. I can’t explain why it is sometimes so difficult for a loving family with open arms to adopt a child waiting in another country. I was reminded through the handwriting of a 7 year-old that it cannot all be easily explained or easily solved, and that’s ok. The first steps toward action are realizing that there is a problem and wondering why.
As I continue my World Race journey it is my prayer that God would equip me to clearly communicate His broken heart for the world and the hope that He brings. When the devil reminds me that I am not worthy of this calling, I will cling to the promises that God has made. He called me to go and I do not walk alone. He called me speak and will not leave me without words. He called me to love and fills me up daily with His agape love for His people. It is through Christ alone that I can face these unanswered questions.
