The World's On Fire, and We're All Smiling...

though it's all our fault...

Those are the lyrics to a popular current Christian song. It goes on to say how beautiful it is, but it's referring to the essence of God's grace and love for us, though we are all a mess.

Those first lines though, have been replaying in my head for days now. I intentionally do not watch the news and try to avoid it, though I do think it is important to stay alert to current events...but the majority of *news* is so depressing and negative. It was no different the other day when I got sucked in to reading article after article about current world atrocities.

I felt overwhelmed to tears. Helpless. I wanted to scream, "IS ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION!?! WHO is going to DO something!" I wondered what CAN we do? What CAN *I* do?

As a Christian, I believe in service to others, physically helping others in some way. What though, can I possibly do for women and children who are right at this moment, being abducted and intended to be sold as sex slaves, ONLY because of their race and faith?

What can I do for men, women and children who are being beheaded, hung and raped for refusing to deny their faith?

How can I help a country that is constantly under attack and then blamed for it?

I thought we were supposed to learn about our history in order to prevent it from repeating itself. Especially the darkest of times. But a holocaust is happening again. A people group is being targeted for extinction.

Then again, this is not new. People groups have experienced genocides for decades now, as the world stood by and did NOTHING!

Maybe we can say we didn't know it then. Maybe we weren't made aware, news, information and media didn't travel as fast in the past. We can't say that now though. We have access to instant, real time info, pictures, graphics, words and videos of events and situations all around the world.

What can I do?

I can sit here and cry for a journalist that was kidnapped and held captive for years, then beheaded...while another is threatened. That is one option. And I suppose it could be expected that I could continue my instagram life of smiling children, work outs at the park and table settings. To be honest, I will.

But we are NOT helpless.  I am unable to go across the globe and offer anything for anyone. I can't rescue the next female who has been threatened and kidnapped. I can't stop the war in Israel. I can't bring back a dead journalist. I can't take the noose off those men's necks. I can not undo all the evils that are currently being tolerated.

I can make you aware of it though. Maybe you know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone else, who CAN do something about it. Maybe if more of the world knew...Or not.

Maybe it doesn't really matter what I have to say...except to the One who always listens. We can pray. We can pray like never before and keep on praying. At every opportunity, we storm the heavens and demand justice.

When the world is on fire and we're all smiling...we can pray for our human brothers and sisters. We can praise the Lord of all. That is our greatest weapon. Pray for justice, protection and peace. Gather other people together to pray. Mobilize spiritually.

Pray. Care. Do something...like pray!