We Cannot Stay Silent

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I don't know about y'all, but there is so much overwhelming heartache in the world news these days. There is so much evil and junk that permeates our world and threatens to choke the life out of us. As I've seen headlines come in through notifications on my phone in the past few weeks, my heart has ached as I've considered the real pain that people all around the world are facing during this holiday season.

It's not all twinkle lights and pretty bows for everyone. There is real pain and destruction happening in many corners of our world, and sadly, if our eyes are open, we may not have to look far to find it. Have you read about or seen what's happening in Aleppo? It is enough to make you weep for days. I am not a world news expert, nor do I claim to have all the facts. But what I do know is that there are innocent people being attacked and there is senseless killing happening. Children, mothers, fathers- no one is being spared. And whether they celebrate Christmas or not, the fact is that their December 25 is going to look very different from most of ours.

2016 kind of feels like a doozy of a year when we look back at all that has occurred just here in the United States-there's heartache, strife, political tension, and racism. But there is so much going on outside of our little American bubble. There are families being divided and bombs being dropped while we trim our trees and plan our Christmas feasts. We don't have to feel guilty about our comfortable lives, but we also cannot justify inaction when we've been made aware. It hurts to think of how different our realities can be just because we were born in another place.

So what do we do? Do we decide to turn a blind eye and get back to our Christmas movie binge session? Do we sit in plenty and decide that whatever we might could do probably wouldn't be enough?

I hope not. Here's some action steps we can take:

Pray. We don't often harness the power we have in prayer, but it is an offensive weapon. Pray for God's peace to rule and for people to turn to Him.

Give. Preemptive Love is on the ground in Aleppo, Syria, and just $30 can provide sleeping bags for two people fleeing the city.

Go. This isn't always an option for overseas situations, but think about your local city. Are there people in your city who need what only you can give?

Let's do the hard thing, friends. Let's decide not to turn a blind eye and to give what we can to help others who can't give us anything in return.