The Face of Illegal Immigration: A Challenge to the Church
I posted a story about immigration on this blog site here. It is a personal story about my grandparents coming into the country and the stand that others took for them when they tried to gain their citizenship. I have a dear friend who was brought into this country illegally as a small baby. She had no choice in the matter. After she became a Christian and was old enough, she made application for her citizenship. In the meantime she had married a legal citizen and had two children. She was active in the homeschool community and her church. She is a loving person with an amazing servant's heart.
It has been a long, hard battle for her to work toward her citizenship. Doing what is right isn't always the easy way. Along the way, this friend, who is always there for others, needed a hand herself while in a foreign and dangerous place. She needed a guide in the dangerous city of Juarez while she was there for her meeting with the consulate. She reached out to the Church and Christians for help. No one was willing to help her. They turned her away. She was bruised and hurt. Satan saw his "in" and sent workers of iniquity to help her. Doubt crept into her heart. She is currently in a crisis of faith. My heart is so very sick for her. She is far away from her husband. She is living amongst evil. Her faith is being challenged. I pray for her that this deception is revealed to her. That she runs to Jesus in her pain. He will never, ever leave her or disappoint her.
Guess what? Her crisis of faith is our fault. As Christians and the Church we need to sensitive to our stand against illegal immigration. We need to realize that the face of illegal immigration isn't always the repeat offender we hear about on the news. Sometimes it is the little girl that was brought here unaware that she would be labeled an "illegal". What is wrong with us? Can't we see past the label of "illegal" to the human inside? Shame on us.
Her friendship has challenged me to question my knee-jerk reaction to labels. To get to know the person behind the label. I'm ashamed to say that I don't always do that. Isn't that what Jesus did? He wasn't afraid to talk to the woman at the well who obviously didn't have the best reputation. He spoke with prostitutes and thieves. He saw past their labels. He saw into their hearts. He never, ever excused their sin but loved them and called them out of it.
Please pray for my friend. God knows who she is. Pray that she find forgiveness in her heart for those that have wronged her. Pray that the truth would be illuminated in her heart. Pray that we as the church can look with others in compassion and with His eyes. May we be sensitive to his leading.
It has been a long, hard battle for her to work toward her citizenship. Doing what is right isn't always the easy way. Along the way, this friend, who is always there for others, needed a hand herself while in a foreign and dangerous place. She needed a guide in the dangerous city of Juarez while she was there for her meeting with the consulate. She reached out to the Church and Christians for help. No one was willing to help her. They turned her away. She was bruised and hurt. Satan saw his "in" and sent workers of iniquity to help her. Doubt crept into her heart. She is currently in a crisis of faith. My heart is so very sick for her. She is far away from her husband. She is living amongst evil. Her faith is being challenged. I pray for her that this deception is revealed to her. That she runs to Jesus in her pain. He will never, ever leave her or disappoint her.
Guess what? Her crisis of faith is our fault. As Christians and the Church we need to sensitive to our stand against illegal immigration. We need to realize that the face of illegal immigration isn't always the repeat offender we hear about on the news. Sometimes it is the little girl that was brought here unaware that she would be labeled an "illegal". What is wrong with us? Can't we see past the label of "illegal" to the human inside? Shame on us.
Her friendship has challenged me to question my knee-jerk reaction to labels. To get to know the person behind the label. I'm ashamed to say that I don't always do that. Isn't that what Jesus did? He wasn't afraid to talk to the woman at the well who obviously didn't have the best reputation. He spoke with prostitutes and thieves. He saw past their labels. He saw into their hearts. He never, ever excused their sin but loved them and called them out of it.
Please pray for my friend. God knows who she is. Pray that she find forgiveness in her heart for those that have wronged her. Pray that the truth would be illuminated in her heart. Pray that we as the church can look with others in compassion and with His eyes. May we be sensitive to his leading.
Comments
~Melissa