MOPS January article

I don’t know about you ladies, but I rarely watch the news.  I have a hard time making space in my head for all the pain of the rest of the world, when so many people I actually know are hurting.  This past year I have contemplated giving up Facebook multiple times,  because my heart is so often burdened by the many stories of people I know, past and present, dealing with difficult issues.  Sometimes, I just want to be free of their pain and live my life oblivious to it all.  I know how incredibly selfish that sounds, trust me.  The truth is I often feel overwhelmed by it all because I want to do something to help them and I can’t.  I cannot take my friend, who lives in Arizona, with the special needs baby and a newborn, a meal or do her laundry.  There has been a lot of “I cannot” in times when there needs to be more “I wills.”  And  that makes me feel like a failure, so I would prefer to avoid it.

A few years ago, we had the opportunity to take some students on a service trip to San Francisco.  While there, the group dispersed across the city working in various organizations that helped homeless and hungry people.  It was eye opening on many levels.  San Francisco has done a fantastic job of creating programs that practically meet the needs of their homeless community, and they are executing those programs brilliantly.  It was amazing to see how this city is reaching the majority of the homeless in their community and they even have a plan of ending homelessness in their community altogether.  How great is that?  They are a great example of people putting “I will” into practice instead of “I cannot.”  .  While there, we listened to a song by Jars of Clay.  The song is “Oh my God” and I included part of the lyrics below. (Just to clarify the “Oh my God” is a cry out to God, not an expletive.)  This song moves my soul and if you can, I would highly recommend finding it and listening to it.

Sometimes I cannot forgive
and these days mercy cuts so deep,
If the world was how it should be, maybe I could get some sleep.
While I lay, I'd dream we're better, scales were gone and faces lighter,
When we wake we hate our brother, we still move to hurt each other,
Sometimes I can close my eyes and all the fear that keeps me silent,
Falls below my heavy breathing, what makes me so badly bent?
We all have a chance to murder, we all have the need for wonder.
We still want to be reminded that the pain is worth the plunder.

Sometimes when I lose my grip, I wonder what to make of heaven,
All the times I thought to reach up, all the times I had to give up.
Babies underneath their beds, in hospitals that cannot treat them.
All the wounds that money causes, all the comforts of cathedrals,
All the cries of thirsty children, this is our inheritance,
All the rage of watching mothers, this is our greatest offense
Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God.

(lyrics from www.jarsofclay.com)

This month my friend, Amber Bruce, is coming to share with our group about human trafficking.  Human trafficking is one of those issues that sends my brain into hiding.  I wish I could pretend it doesn’t exist.  I want to believe that people of this modern, advanced, educated world are not barbaric enough to repeat the atrocities of history.  Reality proves me wrong.  This is an issue, like homelessness, like orphans, like so many pains of this world that cannot be ignored.  It is real, it is happening and we don’t have time to wait for it to become personal to us to do something about it.  I realize this is a heavy topic for a mom’s group.  I also believe God has designed us moms to have great influence on our homes and communities to bring change where people are hurting.  I believe that our group is full of moms that want to say “I will” instead of “I cannot.”