The world watches, abhorred that a bully is at work, not just a normal, schoolyard bully, but an evil bully who cares not about the sanctity of life. We applaud as other nations criticize Vladimir Putin’s actions because I’m afraid in many ways, we Americans have become desensitized to evil. Yesterday, a friend shared that his daughter-in-law’s parents are hunkered down in Ukraine. Another prayer list from Fort Scott listed a family member in the same boat. My son Adam is there, bringing humanitarian aid in and taking orphans and the wounded out to Romania. Once it becomes personal, this slaughter takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it? At some point, we need to be bothered. Prayerfully bothered. In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus speaks through the apostle John to the church of Laodicea: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. What was going on there that angered the Lord? I’ll tell you what: The church members had become numb, lethargic, desensitized to evil, and Jesus clearly was displeased. Is there a chance that we are of the same mindset? Or are we zealous, abhorring evil, as God wants us to be? Christians, beware. When we turn on our televisions, do we…
- “Tsk-tsk, another slaughter of human life!”
- “Tsk-tsk, the Russians are raping the Ukrainian women.
- “Tsk-tsk, the statistics on abortion are alarming.”
- “Tsk-tsk, how many F-words can Yellowstone use before I opt to watch something else?”
- “Tsk-tsk, a few more Afghanistan rescues; too bad I can’t do something to help.”
- “Tsk-tsk, homeless people have taken over our cities. Glad I don’t live there!”
A few days ago, Peter and Melinda, the heads of The Gems of Mazatlán, a philanthropic organization that raises money for the five local orphanages, called to share that one of the orphanages had no working toilets. An underground pipe, once repaired with plastic bags, was leaking. I had told Peter that my Fort Scott friend had sent money with me, instructing me to use it at whichever orphanage needed it the most. Eenie-meenie-minie-mo. All are understaffed and underfunded. This need, however, was urgent. Peter called and asked if the money could be used for the pipe repair. It would cover only about 1/6 of the cost, but it was a start. I was frustrated. That particular orphanage is affiliated with one of the largest denominations in the world, yet there never is enough money. We volunteers have renovated, painted, sewn, repaired, pruned, and met all of its manual-labor needs for the past few years. The Gems of Mazatlán had even hired a teacher when Covid restrictions forbade the kids to go to school. How could such a large denomination become so desensitized to the needs of these youngsters and not step in to help? Oh, I don’t know, Patty. Probably the same way you didn’t go to the orphanage to work last week because you had a challenging tennis match. Or probably the same way you were in too big of a hurry after your pedicure to stop and give money to the man on the street with no feet. Or probably the way you… Yea, once it becomes personal, this takes on a whole new meaning.