Enough is enough!

Watching a documentary called, "Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County."  Wow.  I challenge people to watch this and still suggest that we don't have an income disparity in this country.  When working moms are trying to "make it" bringing home $9/hour while CEOS of the very companies they work for are making millions upon millions, I'm sorry but yes, that IS a problem.  And please, do NOT give me any of that "the CEOS worked their way up" or "taking from the rich to give to the poor won't solve anything."

I recognize that I come from a privileged position in this society - I'm "highly" educated by some standards because I hold an advanced degree.  I know that when I go to apply for a job, I bring that privilege with me.  I am grateful to my parents for making sure I received the best education I could get, in the best public schools in the various cities in which we lived.  And I know that, sadly, not everyone in this country has been afforded that same "privilege."

I didn't have to dig in dumpster to find treasurea and toys to play with...did you?

I didn't have to share a motel room with siblings and my parents for weeks or months because we didn't have a home to live in, did you?

I didn't have to live in my car and shower at the local truck stop in the early morning hours before school to hide my homeless status, did you?

I knew that there would be food on our table at dinner, even if it wasn't always food I liked...did you?

When was the last time you had to step over a passed-out drug addict or pass by the room of a known pedophile just to get to your "safe" home in the motel?

I can't change the world but I truly believe I can be a part of changing my corner of it.

Feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned - Jesus calls us to do that, and we must.  

However, I also believe part of that feeding, housing, and visiting is changing the systems that "allow" those things to happen; being an advocate and a voice, using the "privileged" position that I have to say to those who make decisions, "Enough is enough.  This is NOT the way I want this country to go.  I want safety for ALL children - no matter where they live.  I want a good education for ALL children - no matter where they live.  I want fair, affordable housing for ALL people.  I want good-paying jobs that allow families to live in homes that help to build communities where ALL people are welcome.  I want to know that whether a child grows up in Westchester County, NY or Camden County, NJ  or Orange County, CA or Buffalo County, SD, they will all have the same opportunities for "success" in this country."

Unfortunately, we know that is not true and until we stand up and say, "enough," it will continue to be the way it is and we will ALL suffer for it.

Brilliant young minds that can change this world - discover cures for diseases, design infrastructures that we can only imagine, paint or sculpt artistic creations beyond anything we've ever seen - will suffer from the injustice of poverty.

In our church today, we read the story of the Good Samaritan and were reminded of the law to "love God and love our neighbor as ourselves."

It is no longer enough to hear those words in our churches.  We MUST act on them in our communities and throughout the world.

For those who would say, it is not the job of the government to provide these things, perhaps you are right.  My response to you then, is, how will you stand up and say "enough" and act to make things different?

And, if you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, how will you live your faith EVERY DAY, speaking up and taking actions to make sure that no child of God is "less than" anymore?