Guest Blogger

Since I'm going crazy with the school room here (though I do see my dining room table and all six chairs again!), I thought this would be a great time to post something that someone else (unnamed) wrote.

I thought it was so well written and perfectly described the thoughts I had been having on the immigration issue. Anything written in bold is my own excited emphasis . . . I simply couldn't have said it as well. This was written after a conversation on this issue.

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I basically agree with everything that was said regarding illegal immigration. The problem really bothers me and I think that our government should do something about it, be it law enforcement, a wall or something effective (although I think people will always find a way when desperate enough). It annoys me to no end that illegals think and expect certain rights within our country when they know they're not abiding by our laws. It bugs me that they don't want to learn our language, expect us to pay for all their medical care, etc. All that, I agree with.

However, I've been convicted that, as Christians, our primary concern should be for the individual and not for the political issue at hand. I really feel that if Christ were here today, He'd be much more concerned about the spiritual and physical needs of an immigrant than He would be about their legal status. Yes, people shouldn't be enabled, should be held accountable, etc. but when I listen to Christians talk, myself included, I'm struck by how much we lack grace. I dare say that an observer, in comparing the way we talk to that of the liberals, would think that the liberals sound more "Christ-like" in some areas. That really bothers me.

By no means am I saying that we shouldn't have political views or be involved in politics. I will be more likely to vote for a politician who believes in smaller gov't, who has a good plan for border protection, who's tough on terrorism, etc. However, politics and the welfare of America are not our main priorities as Christians. In fact, I think that we should consider ourselves Christians first, Americans second and thus shape our views, or at least express our views, from that perspective. Our main priority is to reflect Christ, share the gospel and bring honor and glory to His name by the way we live and talk. We can't do any of that if we have such harsh, ungracious attitudes towards people.

On the broad issue of illegal immigration, we can naturally have our view that they shouldn't be here, they need to be sent back, etc. but how does that translate to the individual person who is here? Are we going to turn our backs on them and ignore their needs and refuse to reach out to them just because they're illegal? When we come across them, and we will, are we going to be unloving, resentful and complain (even if it's in our minds) that they're taking our jobs and bleeding our welfare system dry? How is that going to win them for Christ? Or, rather, are we going to see them as Christ would see them...lost people who need the Lord and therefore see it as our duty and privilege to facilitate that process? If our political views trump our attitude of love for the individual, then there is an imbalance that needs to be addressed. I find it ironic that as Christians we tend to be so adamant about following the law, personal responsibility, and consequences yet so lacking in grace. This coming from us, who have been the greatest recipients of grace ourselves! Regarding these issues, we need to reflect the balance between justice and love/grace/mercy that God demonstrates towards us.

Again, I'm "preaching" to myself as well. Please don't think I'm talking from a "holier-than-thou" stand point. These are concerns I have, not only for myself, but for any Christian who cares about political issues. Food for thought: I enjoy listening to talk radio but have found that it feeds my negativity and breeds discontent, fear, anger and hard feelings towards illegals, Muslims, Democrats, etc. I agree with so much that is said but there's no love, grace or mercy involved in their discussions. I find that I need to turn it off after awhile because it ends up becoming un-beneficial to me and the attitudes I should be cultivating.

One last thing. We also talked about the concern that there are so many Muslims, even moderates, here in the US and that we'd be more comfortable if they left, for safety reasons. It struck me the other day, though, that what if this is God's way of giving us a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with them? Maybe He has brought them right to us where it's so much easier to witness to them than it is back in their home countries. In the grand scheme of things, I really do think that God is much more concerned about saving souls than He is about the safety of America.

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Oooohhhh, that last line. . . . how many things can I apply that to?

I really do think God is much more concerned about saving souls than He is about:

My schedule
My agenda
My being first in line and someone cutting in front of me
My "me" time
My obsession with current movies/books
My wardrobe
My blog
My school room
My finances

On a lighter note, the band actually came home long enough to check out the progress on the school room today. They loved it and gave me great encouragement about the progress made.

Then, they huddled together and discussed how much room they would have if they practiced in there instead of in the house. I could see them plotting where the drums would be, where Zach would stand, etc.

It made me smile.

Too bad it wouldn't work right now. With a bare, cement floor, it would be incredibly loud in there (even for them!).