This broken world

In a recent school visit here in Mozambique, I was reminded again of our precarious place in this broken world. In the "west" (North America and Europe, basically), we take pride in having things pretty much together. We like to think that hard work and common sense reward us with health and justice and happiness. It often works out that way, at least we think so... at least on the surface it appears to be true.

Our world is much more global now, and this brings tremendous benefits of networking across cultures and languages and geography in ways not even imagined 50 years ago. We often think of the benefits to the "non-west" (also called global south or developing countries, etc.). We see that they have access to information at the touch of a screen... they can see and hear things from halfway around the world. They can translate information into a language they understand (mostly) with the click of a button. They can see new technologies that will change their lives... they can dream of a future like ours...

We think...

On the other hand, this global connection of cultures and countries have the ability to show us their own world. We can watch a farmer in Zimbabwe harvest his crops in almost real time through blogs and YouTube. We can have a peek at the war far away and the famine resulting from the drought. We can become enraged at the treatment of animals or the environment somewhere far away. We can know more about the brokenness of mankind than we want to know.

So we don't look... if we can avoid it.

When the messy, broken pieces of this earth come to the surface, we are forced to evaluate their place. We cannot deny their existence anymore. We cannot pretend that they are lies. We know. We have to consciously refuse to care about them. We justify the situation by arguing that "they" could have it better if they did it our way. We think that our money and education and ingenuity can save them... if only they weren't so far away.

If only... 

But we don't really want them and their problems to get too close to our comfort either, do we? 

There are no easy answers. None of us has the whole picture.God does. He says:

• Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.

• Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

• See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

• ... never get tired of doing good.

•  And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. 

And always remember... Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it!
While we can't fix it all, we shouldn't ignore it all either. We shouldn't worry so much about what we will sacrifice to help someone as to worry about what that person needs. Christians should be the ones to show up first to help and heal and speak encouragement and kindness. Let's remember out place in this broken world.
 *1 Corinthians 10:24, Ephesians 4:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 2 Thessalonians 3:13, Hebrews 13:16, Ephesians 2:9.