And on the sixth day, God looked upon Creation and said, “Let us create borders and divide up the land.” Wait . . . that’s not what it says. Now, I’m not looking to have an immigration reform debate or a discussion on the importance of border control. I know enough to know that I don’t know enough.
What I do know is that my wife and I love our three daughters. What kind of hardship, what kind of violence, what kind of difficulty would cause me to look them in the eye and send them away to seek a better life away from home? Dear God, it breaks my heart to think of it.
As I read the news it seems like I’m reading the same story, and the story is this: “On which side of the wall do I belong?” Yes we are in the midst of a border crisis. Those trying to escape mortar fire in Gaza and Israel would say the same. Is the eastern Ukranian border part of Russia or isn’t it? How much blood needs to be shed over the lines we draw in the sand?
I know it’s not as simple as that. The walls we build are erected with the brick and mortar of culture, time, ethnicity, wealth, value . . . But that won’t stop my prayers for all to see the profound truth of Galatians 3:28–that in Christ we are uniquely one. Like voices in a choir we each have the beautiful distinction as a child of God, but all voices are directed to the Lamb. It is not a grey world of lukewarmness, but a vibrant tapestry in which each strand is honored and woven into God’s masterwork.
Our Psalm for Psunday, Psalm 139 says, “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (verse 14). Do you believe that to be true about you? Do you believe that to be true of your neighbor? How about your enemy?
Dear God I’m not perfect, and the walls around my heart can be high. May God offer us grace so that Christ may be proclaimed . . .