BIRTH INTO LIFE
Life is an incredible thing.
Yesterday, I arrived at the age of 26, which is young to some and old to others. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Well, maybe I’m a little indifferent. Lord willing I've got a few years left to further His Kingdom (and sin a lot along the way).
On the same day as my birthday something incredible happened. What is it you say? Did you receive an unexpected gift? No, not exactly.
On January 26th 2009, an infamous Congolese rebel whose been indicted for crimes against humanity...and not just any crimes, was put on trail by the International Criminal Court (ICC - global law). He committed some of the most horrific and nightmarish things you could ever imagine - not fun stuff to imagine, I know. I know because I spent a good nine months living with a former child soldier in Uganda, a young man who was once an innocent boy of nine years old. Then, evil entered his life and a dark cloud covered his future leaving deep streams of hurt, hurt that we couldn’t begin to understand.
I take for granted the "normal" childhood I had. I use to cry because I didn't receive the toy I wanted or because I bumped my head. At the same time, innocent Patrick was being forced to kill people twice his age. While others were being forced to kill their parents (or be killed). Kill or be killed, this is an unfortunate reality.
CHRISTMAS MASSACRE
On Christmas morning, I awoke in a bed big enough for three large people...I mean the bed is huge & incredibly comfortable. I didn't want to get out of it. The meaning of Christmas has definitely changed over the years and this Christmas it changed drastically.
On the day we celebrate Jesus' birthday 35 people like us were brutally killed by the infamous Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in remote villages within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I know that thousands of people die a day and it all becomes so overwhelming. Plus, I didn't know any of those whose lives were lost here on earth. Does it bother anyone that stats are thrown around all the time without any emotional or personal attachment or reaction?
They're just numbers. No names.
Or faces.
When I learned about what's being called the "Christmas Massacre" I didn't know how to react. Should I be angry? Should I mourn? Or should I throw up a defense mechanism to keep my life safe from other issues going on in the world?
God asks His people to free his people. To do good for others. To use what He's given us for the sake of others.
The slaves.
The oppressed.
The widow. The orphan.
The vulnerable.