I have seen overindulgence and vain pursuit of riches in the
United States of America. The people of the nation have been lulled to a numb
stupor as their senses are overwhelmed with entertainment, advertisements and
propaganda. I see the mounts of material possessions that are horded over their
lifetimes, only left to be corroded and eaten by moths.
I have seen families living in a filthy town dump rampant
with disease in Nicaragua living off of the waste of others. Some of the
parents would prostitute their daughters to the dump truck drivers so that the
parents would have first dibs on the new loads of garbage coming in. Some of
the girls weren’t even teenagers.
I have seen the repercussion of a disheartened neighborhood
in slums of the Dominican Republic through the actions of the children living
there. Young kids, with egos far inflated past their years, violently fighting
with each other constantly because their only influences are gang bangers and drug
dealers.
I have seen the absolute reliance for foreign aid in Haiti
because the immense poverty was magnified tenfold when the earthquake hit 15
months ago. Some photos were taken of the destruction last year look no
different from photos taken in the same spot today.
I have seen the iron grip of addiction in the form of alcoholism
in the beautiful green country of Ireland. Moderation is a term without meaning
in the pubs that are commonplace for the Irish. The laughter, singing and
cheerful atmosphere of drinking environments masks hidden sorrow and pain that
is temporarily eased by the reaching the bottom of the glass.
I have seen the gloominess and despair of a forgotten part
of the world in Eastern Europe in Romania and Moldova. The remnants of a
communist reign have left the people of these countries poor,
downcast without hope.
I have seen African children in Malawi, old enough to run
and talk, breast feeding on their mother’s breast because the family cannot
afford any other food for their children. Their society is stuck in the stone-age
because of a lack of opportunity and resources.
I have seen the disparity between rich and poor in South
Africa as clearly as white is from black, and ironically enough the skin color
tells the story. A township of thousands of tin shacks lays only minutes down
the road from multimillion dollar homes.
I have held orphans in the Philippines and heard them call
me daddy because I was momentarily
their father figure. One day one of the older girls ripped a boy out of my arms
and snarled at me telling him that I am NOT his daddy. This girl was old enough
to realize that I was only a temporary volunteer and if the boy opened up and
attached to me that he would feel so much pain and hurt when I had to leave
him.
I have seen young women trapped inside of prostitution rings
in Thailand being used and abused by lustful men who will never be quite
satisfied. Some girls were sold into this life style by their parents because
their parents couldn’t afford to raise them. I’ve seen the sadness on the faces
of beautiful daughters who were turned into sex objects with a price tag.
I have seen the burden of an oppressive government that
weighs heavy on its people in China. I have seen people attacked and persecuted
for their beliefs; beliefs that transcend self and government. I have heard a
Chinese man say he feels all alone in his faith because everyone else laughs at
what he believes in.
Those people would probably laugh at me too. Everyone is
looking for hope in the midst of a broken world.
In my twenty-two
years living on this planet I have witnessed firsthand some of the most
distraught and hopeless conditions fathomable. My eyes have been
heartbreakingly privileged to witness the true state of mankind on this pale
blue dot floating in space we call Earth. Looking back in history, mankind has
indefinitely been in this wretched state of being. I have concluded that the human
race is essentially looking to find happiness and peace amidst the unkind world
they live in.
Those who are wealthy enough seem to find comfort in the
material things in life, the things that do not really change the world to make
it better, but simply add a distraction and a buffer between themselves and the
wretched. Those who are not born into wealth may find purpose in gaining it at
any means necessary. Others may keep a ‘moral’ code by following the rules that
are governed by society and work hard to achieve this happiness, thus entering
the ‘grind’.
Some find purpose in religion, the belief that a higher
Deity exists, and that somehow life will be better in the next life or that
someway enlightenment is achievable in this lifetime. Largely, religious
beliefs derive from our roots, what our parents believe, what our parent’s
parents believe, etc.., what our peers believe, what our community believes,
what our nation believes, what our founding fathers believed, what our founding
father’s founding fathers believed. Some blindly accept the torch passed on
from their roots, never fully examining other options, just simply taking what
has always been either because they wish not to make waves and cause conflict,
they are indifferent, or they do not know anything else besides what is
presented to them.
I was raised in a Christian environment in a Christian
nation. Naturally I feel into the Christian belief system. Christianity as I
have come to know it is as follows:
He created everything we see, experience and know, he created you, me, the
animals, planets, stars… everything. He created a perfect world and put two
human beings into the world. The humans disobeyed God, thus evil entered into
the world and a disease, sin, and sin has been inherited throughout generations
up to the present day. Offering sacrifices to God forgave men of their
trespasses in times of old. However, because God loved the world so much he
sent his son, Jesus Christ, so he could be the final sacrifice on man’s behalf.
It was foretold that a ‘savior’ would rescue the world from its wretched state
and Jesus claimed to be this man. He was a humble, meek carpenter who hung out
with prostitutes, drunks and everyone that society rejected. He was not a
valiant, noble king or strong warrior that descended from heaven on chariots of
fire. He flipped the world on its head, putting the lowest of the low on the
top and the top on the bottom. He was rejected by the world. Jesus was
crucified and his blood was shed as a sacrifice for all of man’s sin, past,
present and future. Man can do nothing to redeem himself, but only accept the
gift of Christ’s sacrifice. No good works can please God because he already
loves us immeasurably. He desires to have a relationship with mankind. It is
the hope of Christians that Christ will one day return and restore the world
back to its perfect state. Until then we are called to be in relationship with our
Creator.
Depending on your background, that may sound like the exact
thing you have heard from church pews and pastors your entire life. This may be
the first time you have ever heard the story of Jesus. I’ll be the first one to
admit that this sounds like a fictional story, truly like a fairytale. Yet I
find comfort in believing in something bigger than me. I find comfort in
believing that life is not vanity and chasing after the wind, but that I have
purpose and that anything is possible. I find comfort in believing that I am part
of the greatest story of Love ever told.
A story about how a being, God, loved his creation so much that he
offered his son to die for us. He died for me. I find peace in this. I find
happiness in this. I find joy in talking to the God of the universe, knowing
that He hears me because he is everywhere, even though I cannot physically see
him… or can I? He is invisible yet fully visible. I can see Him in the sunrise,
in the way my brothers and sister love one another, in the stars at night, in
the intricacies of leaf on a weeping willow, in laughter, and the list limitlessly
continues.
A sobering question has lingered in my mind as I come across
communities in different countries that have different religious beliefs. What if I grew up in a community with a
fundamental belief other than Christianity? Would I be a Christian? What if I
was taught Islamic principles by my parents? Would I believe in Buddhism if I
was born in China? Would I be agnostic or atheistic given an unbecoming
‘Christian’ upbringing? These are questions that I cannot answer, and I
dislike speculating about because I truly would never know unless I actually
lived in such a situation. Would I believe that Jesus really is the Savior, the
Christ foretold by prophets of old, the Way, the Truth, the Life if it were
presented to me? As it is, I find myself in a situation that would never allow
me to experience Christ from any other viewpoint than the one which I currently
find myself in.
