The recent discovery of 215 children’s remains at the Indigenous residential school in British Columbia is just too horrible to grasp. The victims were as young as 3 years old. For 100 years, Indigenous (aka Aboriginal Canadians or First Peoples) children were separated from their families and given to the care of about 130 residential schools across Canada. The purpose of which was for them to assimilate into the society. For years there have been stories of abuse in these residential schools that has prompted the Canadian government to issue an apology to the Indigenous community and provide compensation to the victims’ families. The separation of these children from their families have also resulted to further social issues and discrimination that are still prevalent today. This is indeed a dark chapter of the country’s history.
On a massive scale, we have seen historical events of annihilation of a race or a group of people. One that comes to mind would be the attempt to wipe out European Jews during the Holocaust. This resulted to the death of six million Jews. We also have what we know as Rohingya killings in Myanmar. This is the ongoing persecution of the Myanmar military to the Muslim Rohingya people. Until now, Rohingya people are still displaced and their constant abuse is an open investigation at the international criminal courts. We have other events of genocide in Bosnia, Rwanda and Cambodia with deaths reaching to millions.
What is genocide? In Wikipedia, it is defined as “the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group.” How did it come to such magnitude? How can one group decide they are more superior than another race? This is an evidence of the corrupt side of humanity. From the time Cain murdered Abel as the first recorded crime until the present time, we see acts of crime because of hate, prejudice, pride, and entitlement. Just as one man can bring healing to the world, so can one man start an evil ideology that would snowball into huge scale murders and abuse.
We can say in our hearts … oh I am not bad; I have never been part of all these atrocious events, and I have never committed any form of murder. But wait… in 1 John 3:15 it says, “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.” Whoa! What a message, I had to read it over multiple times. This means, I commit murder in my heart daily. I have my own biases. I frown upon people who are different from me or do not see things the way I do, more so those that have hurt me. I play in my head how I can get back at them. I participate in gossip and speculations. At work, I would have hurt people already in my mind for those that test my patience for the lack of accountability and sense of responsibility. I have preferential treatment among relatives, friends, and acquaintances. The list can go on. What wretched heart I have!
Individually, we are never exempt from our corrupt nature. We can never say we are good because I did this and that. Whatever good I do; it can never separate me from my sinful nature … until I met Jesus Christ. God knows that there is a great divide between us and Him because of sin and our fallen nature. During the old times, before one can bring his/her petition or be clean before God, there were animal blood sacrifices. God in His great love for His creation, sent His only Son to earth to be the ultimate blood sacrifice that covers all our sins. Jesus’ death on the cross paid all my past, present and future sins. All I did was believe in Him that He is the only way to reconciliation with the Heavenly Father and to everlasting life. What an amazing act of grace and mercy! Being forgiven from my wretched nature, who am I not to exhibit the same grace and mercy to those that have wronged me?
I am a work in progress. Daily, there is a struggle to fight against my human nature. I thank Jesus because He has not given up on me. I thank Him because we are partners in this now. I post in my wall, in front of my desk two verses. Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Another verse is Philippians 4:9, “Finally, brothers and sister, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent and praiseworthy – think about such things.”
I cannot change the past. I cannot take back the harmful actions I’ve done, the hurtful words I have spoken, the destructive thoughts against people that festered as poison in my mind and heart. All this as part of my own immaturity, lack of understanding and above all, sinful nature. The good news is there's hope for a change of heart, a change of mind, widening of understanding and a path to righteousness. This is made possible not through my own strength since by myself I would never be able to get rid of my own biases and negative attitudes. This is only through the daily work of Jesus in my life that I can guard my heart and rid my mind of wrong judgment on other people. I am a person pardoned with UNDESERVING forgiveness, grace, and mercy. May God grant me the grace to extend the same to others.
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