I literally just woke up from this dream as I'm typing it, normally I would first put it in my dream journal and ponder over it for a while before it ever made it onto this blog, but I feel that the Lord wants to address this issue since it is extremely relevant to us right now...
In this dream, my family had hired a bunch of Mexican day laborers, and we had about 8 of them with us to set our tables and chairs for us. As I watched them, I saw the detail they took in setting the chairs and tables, I saw the way they felt as there were obviously too many of them for such a simple job, but they simply needed the work...
I saw how they perceived themselves when they were around us; second class, worthless, dirty, illegal... They knew that we viewed them as lower class sub-humans, who have invaded our country out of the evil of their hearts...
This revelation crushed me. It convicts me! Oh the wrongs I have done in the name of being "right"!
So I went out of my way to affirm them with the way that they set the tables so well, and the care they took in doing such a humiliating job... Then I awakened...
The Church, me, us, we all have allowed something illegal to immigrate into our hearts... We have closed our hearts to the illegal immigrants in this nation and refused to view them as equal human beings until they go through a legal process of red tape and become full citizens. I'm not saying that them being here in this nation is legal, it isn't, but I'm also saying that a human being cannot be illegal, they are human. Perhaps they are here illegally because money is so lacking down in Mexico that in their desperation they have gone against their better judgement and come to America to work without getting the approval, but this doesn't make their humanity illegal. We can't view PEOPLE as illegal! Perhaps some of their actions aren't perfect (whose are?) but to label them as less than human and classify them as "aliens" is not the heart of Christ!
I know it sounds cliche', but what would Jesus do? In a day where Jews wouldn't speak to Samaritans because they were viewed as "half-breeds" He not only chose to associate with them, but he also chose to associate with what was viewed as worse at the time; a Samaritan woman!
This makes me ask myself: Does the fact that illegal immigrants have broken the law justify the hardness of my heart towards them? Does it justify the fact that we no longer see a human being when we look at them, but instead we only see a crime? I seem to recall Jesus asking a pharisee who was judging a prostitute, "Do you see this woman?"
And so the Lord is challenging you as well as myself...
Do you see the valuable human beings that they are, or do you only see a sin?
As for me, I am ashamed of myself...
Eye See, eye agree, and eye like what eye see, and it challenges me. eye thank thee.
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand why there are so many illegal immigrants who come to America, I don't think that it's a good idea to jump over a fence or paddle a boat over to Miami.
ReplyDeleteAnd the question about how should we treat an illegal immigrant is tricky because you have to know who they are first. I'm sure that if you happened to befriend one, they would never, ever say they're here in the States illegally. That's just ridiculous. But let's say you find out that your new friend IS illegal. I think there is a fine line between what to do as a Christian and what to do as an American citizen.
What I should do as a Christian is love that person. But even that presents difficulties. To what extent do I care for him/her? What if I bring that person to church and others ask, "Where are you from? What do you do?" And then, let's say that your friend gets a job and stuff. I wonder if it's a crime to house someone who is here illegally.
My friend Gary said once that the illegal immigration problem isn't all those who cross over's fault. The Mexican government is responsible as well. If they made life better for those living in the country, maybe hundreds of thousands wouldn't risk their lives to come here.