Some moments have a ripple effect. As a thrown stone breaks the glassy surface of water causing rings to swell and radiate to the shore, some moments break through us and the ripples radiate for days, months, even a lifetime.
Years ago, a distinguished professor who’d been visiting our church agreed to come lead our small group for the evening. I don’t remember his initial topic that night, but as we lingered in conversation, the discussion soon turned to his travels, specifically his time in India. Tears filled his eyes as he recounted the crushing poverty and mind-boggling crowds of men and women and their children, begging in the streets all around him. His voice trembled as he described the enormity of human suffering he’d witnessed there. The heartbreaking stories he shared left mental images of miles of poverty and millions of suffering souls.
After the meeting, I pulled the professor aside and confessed how utterly overwhelmed I was after hearing his stories. I shared how I’d been strangely burdened by the concept of suffering since I was a young girl. “How can this be?” I asked him. “Where is God in the midst of all this? And how on earth can we even begin to enter in and respond to such enormous injustice and suffering?”
The mild-mannered, soft-spoken professor snapped his head toward me, his eyes piercing and focused. “No,” he declared. “Being overwhelmed by suffering is no excuse for doing nothing.” He explained that there will always be more need than we can meet. But that does not mean we aren’t called to enter in and do the things we are able to do right now. His words landed hard. They felt like a rebuke because they were. To be paralyzed by the harsh reality of suffering, to be stuck inwardly condemning global injustice while doing nothing to alleviate it, is not an option God gives us.
God doesn’t sugarcoat the pain and brokenness of the world. He calls out evil, suffering, and injustice (Proverbs 6:16–19). He shines a light on those who are lonely, abandoned, oppressed, and poor (James 1:27). He knows the desperation, the dire circumstances, and the darkness we encounter, both in global proportions and in our most intimate and personal daily struggles (Psalm 139:12). Our God knows we need rescue. And Christ scandalously declares,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
– Luke 4:18–19
Because He has solidarity with us, we can offer solidarity to the hurting.
Because He defends us, we can defend others.
Because He is our ultimate Judge, we can fight for justice.
Because He is our hope, we can hold on to hope for ourselves and extend it to others.
Christ entered in to rescue us. And the ripple effect of that rescue goes on and on. Thanks be to God alone.
Patti Sauls lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband Scott and daughters, Abby and Ellie, where they serve alongside the people of Christ Presbyterian Church. Prior to living in Nashville, the Sauls planted churches in Kansas City and Saint Louis and served at New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church. A trained speech therapist, Patti also enjoys serving behind the scenes, hiking with friends, and reading good books.
This topic has been on my heart for years. As a ten year old, I was trying to come up with a plan on how to send basic toiletries to needy people in Africa. And while that plan never really came to much of anything. I grew in my desire to help others. My mission field has been friends and lending helping hands and ears to them. And now in 2 months, I get to follow what my heart has been longing to do for years, I get to go and help children overseas in places where they do not know love or safety. I get to be love for them.
This idea that helping those you can help and not becoming overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that are out there to be helped puts things into perspective as I prepare to go and do just that. Always good to keep in mind.
Tols – I am so sorry that in many ways, many of us still do not get it. We have been blessed to be in a large multi racial, multi denominational church for 12 years. I know this helps a bit because we know, love and see God in so many ways together. And that breaks my heart in so many ways. Two of our beautiful grandchildren are multi racial. They are little now, but I fear for their future. So I ask that you continue to tell us that we need to do it better and please know that many of us are working on it. Your words have helped me to know that I should be doing much more. Please continue to pray for all of us as you do and thank you so much for your words.
This message struck me today as a black woman constantly seeing uncensored and multiple footage of people like me being murdered on a daily basis with no justice for them or the families. I have felt furious, hopeless, and disappointed. Disappointed in the absolute reluctance of most Christians to denounce this evil and not just attribute it to ‘end times’ which to me translates into ‘get over it. The world is supposed to be getting worse’.
The more I den this reaction, the more I have been determined to scream from the rooftops that our lives matter. That Black Lives Matter. The more determined I have been not just to sit back and ‘pray about it’. The world needs to see how the contempt for our lives is destroying us as a community, physically, psychologically, socially. Just in every way possible. And I keep asking God why. Why are we seen as people to be abused, trod on, discriminated against, snuffed out. Just because of our skin. The one he gave us. Ladies I have battled with fury this year and in previous years, and although I don’t have all the answers, I know for a fact the church should be speaking up about it and I’m continuingly finding it hard to reconcile myself to a faith and community that would remain silence. All I know that is true is that God and Jesus are. I trust them. Everyday is prayer not to be consumed by resentment and bitterness towards fellow Christians, some of whom spout the most evil justifications for Black Death I have ever heard.
God is still working on me. I will continue to speak for the oppressed and I will continue to pray to not be consumed with disgust at the people who are meant to be my brothers and sisters in Christ.
When there is justice for the oppressed, there is peace. And this goes for all the other situations in the world too, not just hunger and poverty as we like to focus on. Terrorism, sex-trafficking, honour killings…all of it.
God has been absolutely breaking my heart over this lately. I am white and very passionate about social justice. It is unbelievable to me that there are Christians who discriminate so blatantly against folks with black skin. I have even been disappointed in some of the social media posts of my own family members, who are generally very nice and not people you’d think of as racist. Please know that you have white Christian allies out here who are doing more than just pray and sit on the sidelines, and I am one of them. Not to say that prayer isn’t needed, because it is, but as the scriptures in today’s readings show, we are called to more than that. We are called to actively confront oppression and discrimination when we see it. I am also with you in praying that I not turn in anger on my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It is so hard! But I know that ugliness fighting ugliness is not the way. Hang in there, sister. Much love to you.
Oh and p.s. – I have been proud to see some prominent Christians and leaders of the church speaking out against discrimination toward black Americans! Try following Rachel Held Evans and Jen Hatmaker for starters :)
Thank you for this and for sharing your personal, righteous anger toward such injustice. Even comments like this help promote understanding and motivate action. I think some Christians and people in general have a distorted view on anger. We need to get angry healthily towards the things that also grieve the Lord’s heart. Our church had a worship night a few weeks ago and I was overcome with the fact that the Lord gets angry, gives grace, but never has fear. Praying that especially for Americans that are hearts continually become aligned with the Lord’s: that we get angry, give grace, but do not fear taking action.
Agree with all the above; I was so thankful when our priest woke people up to be active in opposing the hate that allows these atrocities to happen under our noses.
I was also thankful for his rebuke of people holding their heads high, saying that the people in Orlando simply “got what they deserved”. Lord
have mercy!
Thanks for your words. I’m also a speech path and it has been an interesting first year of work balancing career and the rest of life and trying to sort through what it means to live justly and to relate to community with compassion and love as Christ has revealed to us. Being involved with church and trying to put in time as I feel burdened in both work and ministry is a challenge but these passages of scripture and this study hav been good and timely reminders of seasons and the Hope we have and the grace He pours out on us that we may continue striving and persevering through whatever wrongs we encounter and have to engage with in our world.
Thank you all for your comments. May we all find that mission in our lives to help who and where we can.
This piece resonates with my life experience since early childhood. But most recent and perhaps most profoundly, I have been a witness to Southern-style, multiple socio-economic stratified resemblance of old British Imperialism [think Downton Abbey], as demonstrated daily by aristocratic to impoverished zip codes, to and from my professional work commutes. Often keenly aware of my service to at least three ‘layers’ of human condition economically, overwhelms me to tears.
God grant us all eyes to see [through the tears ] with resolve to repent, give and serve justly and faithfully. Life is temporal, eternity is not. This gift to me, ‘to see’ , is hard-learned, whilst both caring for the sick, poor and needy, as a decades long professional, viable-single parent and double widow. James 1:27 remains true religion, no matter the zip code.
What a well-written and thoughtful message this morning. I too have always felt an immensely compassionate heart since I was young, but it’s not always easy to productively use… I know I don’t do as much for the broken as my heart is capable of, and I know I need to actively change that.
As a believer, it boggles my mind to see many (including other christians) be so cold to those who are weak or different, and to wish ill-will upon them. We are truly meant to be a light in the darkness, leading the way of justice and love. Sadly that’s not the image many have of Christians today. I pray that we can have the strength and courage to see others the way God sees them, and to act out justice in love whenever needed.
Patti
This article has touched and taught me this morning and deeply encouraged me.
Thank you