A happy baby boy is bouncing in a crib in Southern
Africa. He looks and acts just like any other baby you’ve seen. He coos,
laughs. There is a spark of genuine joy in his bright eyes. Turn your head just
a bit. Look over there-in the corner of the room. Do you see that woman with
the lifeless eyes? She is the baby’s mother. She looks down when you catch her
eye, and though she knows you mean her no harm, you can sense the fear marked
by her bowed head.
You want to know her story, so you ask questions. It is
difficult to ask-what do you say? But it is even more difficult to hear her
answers. She is the victim of an AIDS cleansing ritual. The victim of a lie. It
is a lie that circulates across Africa and states that if you have sex with a
virgin you will be cured of AIDS. This beautiful woman was systematically raped
by men who thought her virgin blood would cure them.
And that bouncing boy? That smiling baby? He was the
product of that gang rape. His mother is dying of AIDS. And someday, a day that
could steal the joy from this boy’s eyes, he will learn that he is infected by
HIV.
Sadly, this story is not unique. The number of people
who are infected with HIV, through no fault of their own is staggering.
So, this
story is from a book that I’ve been reading this past week entitled Red
Letters by Tom Davis. The red letters are the words of Jesus in the Bible.
The words telling us that it is our responsibility to care for the “least of
these”- the ones who are abandoned, ignored, and forgotten. We are commanded to
love them, reach out to them, and show them hope. Hope that they can live
another day, and hope in the One who loves them more than you or I could ever
comprehend. This compelling book has made me think so much about the poverty
that is taking place around the world that you and I live in. My heart breaks
for the countless children who are starving, who are infected with HIV as
infants and then have no one left to care for them, who are prostituting
themselves out day after day just to have a meal. Who will bring them justice?
reading of these atrocities. “Justice is giving to those who have nothing.” In
the Bible, justice is making sure the weak feel protection and showing the love
of God in a physical way. It is about the people who have abundance, you and
me, giving to those who have nothing. Justice is also action. It is about
people serving others who live in poverty. Action gives justice power. Lastly,
justice is LOVE. We serve a God of justice and love. Love is communicated
through justice for the people who are exploited, who are demoralized, who are
broken, and who are oppressed. These “untouchables” hold a very special place
in the heart of God. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Psalm 106:3 says, “Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.” Isaiah
61:8a says, “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity.” These
children are being robbed of their innocence, childhood, and family.
know that these statistics are overwhelming, but you and I can make a
difference. It doesn’t take extraordinary people to get involved and change
things. It takes people like you and I who are willing to give up some things
in our comfortable lifestyle to make a difference in the life of one child. Did
you know that the $4 you spend at Starbucks on coffee is enough to pay for the
malaria medicine needed for a child to stay a live in a third world country?
What if that was your son, daughter, niece, nephew, or grandchild dying from
something so curable? There is hope for all of these people whose lives seem
completely hopeless, and that hope is you and me. Just think about it.
“This isn’t just about ‘doing our little part’ to make a
difference. It’s about moving forward, putting into motion the mission God has
given us. We are Jesus, his hands extended. We are his voice of love. We are
his feet. Where would Jesus be today? What poorest-of-the-poor people would he
walk among, offering his healing touch and life-giving hope? That’s where I
want to be.” –Red Letters
