Immigration Heart Challenge

This post is for Christians only.  If you are not a follower of Jesus, carry on, you have every right to your opinion, your life, and your stuff.

As Christians we have been called to something different.

Before we are so arrogant to think we have more rights than other people because we were born into a country of great privilege we need to take a good hard look at the example of our Savior.  He gave up His seat in heaven at the right hand of the Father to come and take our place here on earth. 

Unless we are willing to follow Jesus, and do what He did then at the very least we should treat  people not born into this country of privilege, with love, compassion, and respect.  I don’t know the solution to the immigration laws, but I do know that when Jesus asked the rich young ruler to do what He did, and give up all he had and give it to the poor, he went away sad.

Maybe we ought to examine our hearts and realize how unwilling we are to do what Jesus did, or even what he told the rich young ruler to do. 

Before we judge “illegal people” so harshly, maybe we should look at our own hearts (myself included) and realize that we are unwilling to trade places with them. We somehow feel entitled to what we were born into, instead of grateful.  What if that were the answer, what if God asked us to do that (I’m not saying He is) I’m just throwing it out there; He asked His son to trade places with us… and we like that trade agreement, what if He asked every Christian in America to give up their home, their life, their stuff and give it to an immigrant for 3 years or 3 days. We would most likely walk away sad.  I watch Christians, (myself included) not even willing to give up a bedroom in their home to a child in need, and yet I watch our good friends that are “illegal” foster more children in this country than anybody I have ever known.  Maybe that’s the answer…get to know an illegal immigrant and their family.  Listen to their story.  It changes how you see the problem; you begin to see people instead of problems.

When I think of the people coming here on these terms, I lay down my pride and arrogance and entitlement and begin to pray and ask the Lord to help us all to love people the way Jesus did. 

When I see Christians talking about how “illegal” it is for these people to be coming here in the first place, I thank my God that Jesus was willing to do the “illegal” thing of the day and heal people and help people even though it was against the “law” many times.

I’m not endorsing illegal acts; I’m just simply challenging us all to examine our own hearts and see how close we are following our leader, our King. Jesus is all about loving people and helping people and getting to the heart of the issues, not just the law.  We seem to keep trusting in government walls to solve problems, and that is never meant to be the ultimate answer for Christians.    

I don’t know the answers for our government, but I do have the answers for our hearts.

Jesus is the answer.  He is the one that showed us and told us what is important and I know every person that has a new heart and the power of the Holy Spirit in them can change the world faster and more effectively than all the new laws and new walls than we can ever come up with.

One last thought:  Joseph took Jesus and Mary, his family, and fled his country in the night.

I’m so glad he did what he had to do, to protect his family, even if the government of the day did not agree with it.