At the beginning of the lockdown my eleven year old daughter and seven year old son started what they call brother-sister time. In the evening, after dinner, they spend time together and do an activity, play a game, watch a movie or series. However, in order to regulate screen time, as well as keep the peace and accountability, we (the parents) stipulated that if they are watching TV together they can only watch a maximum of two episodes or one movie within their one & a half hour period. The other caveat is that each child takes a turn to pick what they will watch. If however they decide to watch separately, they can only watch one program respectively.
On one particular evening, we had dinner later than usual and my daughter was on duty to do the dishes. My wife pointed out to her that she was going to have to forfeit some of their brother-sister time to do the dishes. My daughter was annoyed, but her brother quickly offered to help her so she could complete the task quicker, and not miss out on brother-sister time. They got to work. The dishes were cleaned in record time and they managed to salvage quite a good chunk of their brother-sister time. My wife was so proud of our son for uniting with his sister, even though he was not expected to do the dishes on that day. He could have opted to have fun, as his sister "toiled".
It turns out, he had quickly worked out that if his sister missed brother-sister time according to the rules of screen time, he would only get to watch one TV program so he figured that if he helped her do the dishes, they could be done quicker, and the two of them would still get to hang out as per normal.
When my wife told me this story, I marvelled at the fact that my seven year old had figured out that working in unity with his sister would allow both of them to benefit more, than him choosing to enjoy the privilege of not having to do the dishes that night.
How many times have we relaxed in the luxury of the blessings that we are privileged with, and never thought that we may actually benefit even more if we were to forfeit, or share, our privileges? Better yet, have we considered using said privileges to empower those less privileged or walking a tough season of their lives? We can go through life not realising that failing to unite and help other people can indirectly affect us, or bless us?
Esther 4:13-14
Don’t think for a minute that because you are in the palace you will escape when all the Jews are killed. For if you remain silent at this time, deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place but you and your father’s family will perish.
The story of Esther in the Bible resonates with this pattern of thought. Esther was living in the palace and she could have thought she was safe from the execution that was going to happen to the Jews, but her uncle Mordecai warns that if she does not unite with her fellow people living outside of the palace, she should not think that she would not be affected - just because she is living a privileged life in the palace.
Many times we don’t speak up about issues that don’t directly affect us, but the truth is that in any community, social injustice is a community responsibility. One day you will wake up with the social injustice you once turned a blind eye to, staring you dead in the face and you may be unable to ignore the immediate consequences to you, and the community at large.
Reflect:
What are the issues that I ignore at home, work, in the church or in my community that may need me to step in to help make a difference?
What are the thongs that God has blessed me which are a privilege that like Esther God may have positioned me to have in this season so that I can unite with others to bring justice to my world?
From the things I have thought about what could be the indirect impact of me ignoring these issues since they are not my problem directly?
Taking Action:
As a Church we do not only address the things that concern our church alone. We know that we are a part of a greater community and we choose to play our part in addressing issues that may not affect us directly but we know are on God's heart. Helping the Vulnerable in our communities is part of our mission. We know that the gospel without social justice does not impact our world just as much as social justice without the gospel is an injustice.
In this Season We have launched a Love Pack initiative that seeks to show the Love of God in practical ways to our community. We are raising funds as well as collecting groceries, toiletries and warm clothes and blankets to help feed the vulnerable families and vulnerable communities that surround our different Church locations. From as little as R50 you could help someone in need with a Love Pack of basic toiletries, R100 will help us cook a Love Meal that feeds a family of 6 or you could give R250 which helps put together a Love Pack of groceries that can help feed a family of four for a couple of weeks!
You may not be hungry, or you may not have vulnerable friends or family (Just like my son didn't have to do the dishes), but when you reach out to help those who are hungry and help bring justice into our communities, you will find that your love-gift will help to make our community and our Nation a much better place. We can do more together! Click here to give now to this worthy cause.
Devotional Author: A. Chikwati (C)ViewChurchurch 2022
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