~ "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke
One of the deacons in my church is also my high-school teacher and my youth pastor. Every week he pours out his time and compassion to the unsaved kids at my youth group, trying to lead all of us closer to God and to disarm the lies and misconceptions of this world. Tonight we watched Veil of Tears.
This movie exposes the heart-breaking way of life for most women in India. We know that poverty and the caste system are hurting these women, but there are even greater contributive factors. The cultural mindset of many Indians is damaging and can have tragic effects. In India, women are not valued. They are considered inferior and, at best, are treated unfairly. Many are beaten, raped, murdered, abandoned, disowned....... the list goes on.
The movie was about one and a half hours long. As I watched, my heart became more and more burdened for these Indian women. What really made the experience so poignant was that, one month ago, I was walking in the slums (of Africa). I saw the naked children of drunken fathers and of mothers who felt that their only option was prostitution. I became so discouraged watching the movie that about half-way through I wondered, "What is the hope for these millions of people? What could possibly happen to them to make their life better? To give them a transformed future?" Isn't it crazy that I even had to ask!
Of course the answer, - that this movie did end up revealing - the hope for these millions, is only found in the Gospel of Christ. Only God's Word and God's love are strong enough to shatter the mentality of an entire country, engraved through the millennia. Only His Word can transform the way these people see themselves and give them the hope and the power to rise above their current position in life.
God has sent people into the country to aid the citizens of India, but He has also sent us into the world. There are so many things we can do. We may not be able to fly over to the country and spend the rest of our lives with these people - but we can still be helping! We can aid in furthering God's work in these broken lives. It may be through donations; it may be through sponsoring a child. Even if we can't give financially, we can pray. In fact, brothers and sisters in Christ, we are commanded to pray. Jesus said in Luke 10 (and other places), “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."
I need this lesson just as much as anyone. I need to be reminded over and over... and over. :) We as Christians have a responsibility to give, at least our time in prayer, to the people around the world: the widows, the poor, the fatherless.
I am only one,
but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still I can do something;
and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
"You can be the turning point in the life of a needy child." Check out the link http://www.africaconnect.org/pages/ian-memorial.html
to find out how!
No comments:
Post a Comment