All you say is that you want to be safe.
Safe from people who might try to hurt you and your family.
Safe from people who are dressing up like the other gender who might get into restrooms and hurt your children.
Safe from people with darker skin, raised in poverty, smuggling drugs across the border.
Safe from people who dress in burkas and grew up in war torn areas who might just be here to infiltrate and kill Americans.
Safe from anything that could bring destruction into your little safe haven you’ve created where you go to work, go to church, eat tacos on Tuesday, and post flashbacks on Facebook on Fridays. You follow the rules, you don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t curse. You’re good with God. Just stay safe.
At night you lay there thinking… what if.. what if.. what if? Build a wall. Ban this religion. Make laws to keep people out of bathrooms. This will keep us safe.
But this week, you’re not safe. In the blink of an eye, and one mouse click, you saw that a privileged young man, with money, prestigious education, and athletic prowess took the safety away from a young woman who will never feel safe again. I see you looking for someone to blame… the boy… the parents… the society. But, you’re missing the mark. It is the sin.
You can keep building your walls, banning the bad guys, higher and higher and higher, but there are holes in your levy. Big ones. You see, the sin… it doesn’t have to find a way in. It is already inside, inside each and every one of us.
The ONLY cure for sin is salvation. When I began to believe in God, I was granted a fresh set of eyes that continues to remind me that serving others is more important than any selfish desire I have. Jesus told his disciples to GO, to get rid of ALL of their possessions and simply come FOLLOW him, spreading the good news, and giving the poor in spirit, poor in health, poor in life what they needed; healing, food, water, shelter.
Christian friends, he is asking the very same thing of you. The truth is that we can’t build a wall high enough to keep the evildoers out, because we ARE the evil doers. We fight against each other instead of helping each other. We close ourselves up into little boxes, praying that nobody comes in, where we are called to FEAR NOT and to GO and HELP.
We should be welcoming as many foreigners and Muslims as we can. There is no question that this is “Love your neighbor.” You are probably saying, “But Jaime, what if some evil comes!?”
I say to you, “But, what if we do such a good job at loving these evildoers that they cannot understand how anyone could possibly hate us? What if we give them everything we possibly can and not one person says to them that they don’t belong here. What if we bring the love of CHRIST to them and they are no longer bound by the laws of men?”
Then you’re probably saying, “But no American life should have to be lost so that we can help these people. We aren’t even taking care of our veterans.”
I say to you, “Shame on you for not going to help veterans more, then. Shame on you for staying inside your box and not making this more of a priority. There is plenty of love to take care of all of those we can. There is plenty here. Do not let the greedy ones tell you there isn’t enough, because I know better. Jesus will make provisions. He always does. He fed 5,000 men plus women and children out of nothing but 5 loaves of bread and two fish!" (Matthew 14)
You might be saying, “But Jaime, I’m just scared.. I just want my uncles, cousins, brothers to be safe. They are serving in the military.”
I say to you, “Jesus told us to fear not.”
And you might say… it is just too hard for me. I can’t not worry. And I will say, “That is why the evil is inside… that is satan. Anything that is fear is manipulation from the evil one. Love your Lord with all of your heart and fear not.”
In closing, here are a few scriptural references you may find helpful.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
Titus Chapter 3
3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is sure.
I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone. 9 But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, 11 since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self condemned.
