Life

Photo by Sushobhan Badhai on Unsplash

I actually wrote this toward the beginning of my time in India, but neglected to post it until now; so here it is:
A friend of mine wrote on his blog a while back a post that speaks of how, when it comes to abortion, we need to treat the root causes and not just the symptoms. What he means by that is that women often have reasons for aborting their babies (such as lack of finances or lack of support from partners or family members) and those are the issues we need to focus on solving rather than simply making abortion illegal. I agree, and here is why: if we just pass a law, it will not really solve the problem; it will just cover up the symptom. In essence, it would be like only giving pain medication to someone whose appendix has burst, rather than performing an appendectomy – it is not only insane, but deadly. Now, granted, I do think laws that prohibit abortion do need to be implemented, but that should not necessarily be our first priority. Our primary goal should be to offer solutions to the underlying problems, and in so doing, begin to eliminate the surface issue.

            The same is true of pretty much every major issue people all over the globe are facing, from human trafficking to poverty. If we do not do something about the root causes – whether spiritual or physical, we are not really solving the problem. As an intern with Global Hope India this summer, I joined the other interns and staff members in reading “When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. In their book, Corbett and Fikkert discuss poverty as broken relationships between God, self, others and the rest of creation. These relationships must be functioning together in order for a person to be healthy and whole. Their premise is that poverty alleviation must be multi-faceted in order to help people, who are multi-faceted beings.

            As I have studied social justice issues over the past few years, and have observed the happenings in my own communities, I have become more and more convinced that this is true. We can treat the symptoms (like lack of food, money, etc.), but the real problem might be a lack of discipline needed to keep a job, or an alcohol or gambling addiction. Going even further to the root causes of the potential addictions, there may be underlying reasons for those as well, whether it is past experiences or a spiritual hunger that has not been filled. The point is, in order to really solve problems; we must look for the root problems and work toward finding solutions that will really work in the long-term.

            One example I have been thinking a lot about is the issue of human trafficking. In India, there are millions of children who are being trafficked every year. In Orissa (Odisha), the province in which I am located, there is a huge amount of poverty and many children are trafficked from here to the bigger cities like Mumbai and New Delhi. What are the root problems? Well, the root causes include things like: lack of education, the expectation of providing for one’s family, and many other factors. The core problem though, is their belief systems. Their religions govern every aspect of their lives, and often contribute to the lack of resources each person has access to. What does this ministry do about these issues? They have a school where children can be educated and not just in the basic subjects such as English, science and mathematics, but also learn about God. They have child development centers where children are given additional assistance in their studies as well as a couple of meals each day. In addition, they share the Gospel and provide aid for people in various situations.

            On the flip side of the situation are traffickers and their customers. Where there is demand, there will always be a need for a supply, and so the cycle continues. But, simply making trafficking illegal is not going to solve all the problems. Take sex trafficking for example: the reason it continues to grow is that there is an increase in demand. There are more and more men (and even women) who are willing to buy sex. This is fueled even further by the ease of access to pornography. The root problem is not that men, women and children are being forced into sexual slavery, but that there are people who desire the “supply” in the first place. Now, if we eradicate the demand, perhaps we will be getting somewhere. But here, like in the issue of abortion, it will take more than just making the purchase of sex illegal. The root problem is a heart issue, a spiritual issue.

            I believe that at the core of each of the issues we see around the world, the root problem is a spiritual one. At the core of each person is a hunger which can only be filled when he or she is in a right relationship with the Creator. As each person seeks to fill that emptiness, many things can go awry, as it always does when we take matters into our own hands. And so, sin abounds and with it all manner of issues including sexual addiction, murder, theft, and many other atrocities which are committed against self and others.

            The only solution to issues like abortion, poverty, slavery, and pornography is the Gospel, combined with restorative work in all facets of a person’s life – emotional, physical, etc. It is only in Jesus Christ that we are restored to a right relationship with God and it is in the restoration of that relationship that our other relationships are made right.

            The question, of course, is what might this look like? I think it will look a lot more like the Church reaching out and loving people while sharing the Truth of the Gospel along the way – ideally putting a greater emphasis on sharing the Gospel than anything else. In doing so, we are acting on the restored relationship we have with God and are reaching out to restore the relationships we have with others and helping them to come into a right relationship with God, as well. It will look more like speaking life than speaking death, more like love and less like hate or prejudice. It will look a lot more like the hands and feet of Jesus than simply words spoken with good intention but accompanied with little action.

            The passage I have had in my mind is found in Ezekiel 37 where God brought Ezekiel to a valley full of bones. It says “And he [God] said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophecy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord” (37:3-6 ESV).  Ezekiel went on to say these things, and the bones came to life! Later, in verses 13-14, God says “And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

            What a great reminder that God is the Author of Life and He speaks life even into those who are dead. Should we not, as children of the Most High God do the same? Should we not speak life into the dead lives of those around us? Should we not speak words of eternal life? As Peter says to Jesus in John 6:68, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” It is in the message of the Cross and the Resurrection that we find life, and it is our responsibility to speak those same words of life into the lives of others, no matter what situation they may be in. It is in Christ that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

            I think the end goal that we should have in mind is best described by Isaiah 61:1-3, which is also later quoted in part by Jesus at the beginning of his earthly ministry:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified” (ESV)

            This is what Jesus Christ came to do, and as his disciples, it should be what we strive toward as well.




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