I just want to say in relation to my last post about immigration documents and how sad this stuff is…That was not written in fear or to scare anyone or make anyone scared for us. It was written for several reasons:
Education: the article by Anna Caudill, fellow adoptive mom, was helpful to me, and I wanted to give actually necessary information to adoptive families so that something accidental and tragic could be mitigated; we are not afraid but we are smart, like a woman carrying pepper spray. The only difference is that typically people agree that assaulting a woman is wrong and that women shouldn’t have to be put in a situation like this in the first place, but it is real and we deal with it how we have to. In the same way, I wish everyone could agree that the way the current administration and ICE are going about removing illegal immigrants is wrong, literally unlawful, something we white Americans have never personally experienced, clumsy, and, sorry not sorry, blatantly racist. That sentence can just also be my #2 reason. I want to be put on the record that this is how I see this and many things our pres and his choice of co-workers have done since January. Sharing how it (in a tiny way) affects our family and others like ours is a way I could share those feelings pretty clearly. Sharing how I feel on social media is certainly the least effective way to make change, but…sometimes it is all you feel like you have…and, that leads into #3.
My FB friends are predominantly white and non-immigrants, like myself. I am a Christian who is basically in the dominant culture in most aspects and you all are, too. That means we have an innate responsibility to stand up against injustice and mistreatment of those who do not have such privilege, protection, or means. Because of that, and I’m not going to read and talk about this all the time, but there are times it needs to be said (!): Do we want to go down ignoring the mistreatment and practices against immigrants, the attitudes of presuming guilt and criminal activity, the withdrawing of confirmed refugee status, letters to people who have been here legally for years asking them to self-deport, and deporting Masters and Doctoral level students here doing meaningful work in our colleges with educational visas just because these practices are not hurting us (at this time)? Um, that’s a slippery slope, y’all. These actions against immigrants is only one piece of the puzzle that is going to change the atmosphere in our country. Is my faith shaken by the mess men are making? Not my faith in God…but it seems responsible and Christlike, to me, to care. To say something. To join groups that are doing something.
Like:
https://www.wechoosewelcome.com
Fourth and last- I want to set the example that I can be a person of peace and passionately in love with Jesus and be positive and kind and here to help people and not be afraid and know my citizenship is in Heaven and at the same time, bring up something wrong, ugly, and controversial when it is happening, calling out the perpetrators. Do I like it? Is it comfortable? Does it make things awkward with friends and family? You know the answer. But we all have to do what we know in our gut is ours to do. I’m a peacemaker and a gentle person; and at the same time, it is mine as a person in the dominant culture with loved ones who are NOT to help others SEE what this feels like. Let’s be real: It is important that Christians understand they can speak out about social issues beyond abortion. Christians can obey their governments as the Bible tells us to do but also call something wrong when it is wrong- in fact we should. Christians can care about how people are treated without being “woke”; we are simply doing what Jesus did and commands us to do still. Christians can also disagree because we really do all come from different places and feel there are different ways to get an important task done, such as provide protection for our country which is (supposedly) at the heart of the immigration debate. So in these cases, we need to listen to each other and show the world deliberately respectful debate—not just stick our head in the sand and trust our leaders. I am not an influencer by any means, but I do learn from others who are willing to live their faith out differently, and perhaps I – white gentle peacemaker but also intimately involved with those being profiled and potentially mistreated- can bring to the neighborhood a perspective worth hearing.
I will always seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14) and I will continue to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4) but also, I pray I will not be guilty of ignoring this:
Isaiah 68: 6-12
6
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
7
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9
Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10
Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11
The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
12
Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.
