"You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again you did not know”- William Wilberforce.
I saw the picture above and the quote by Wilberforce on a friend’s FaceBook page. As I scrolled through the feed of pictures of summer fun and first-time college students posing in their dorms, I was struck by the dichotomy of life in the United States and life in Iraq and Syria for Christians. Here we dwell in relative safety. We can worship together, unafraid even in public, while in Iraq they can’t even live at peace in their homes. Christians are fleeing from the radical Islamic men that make up ISIS: women are being raped, sold as second wives or sex slaves. People are being killed, and children have been beheaded. Our realities are so different!
What can we do? First of all, we can pray. When one part of the Body of Christ is hurting, we all hurt. Will you take a few minutes to intercede for them? Pray also for the Yazidis, who are being targeted by ISIS and for the men who make up ISIS. Remember that the real enemy is not flesh and blood, but demonic forces of evil.
We can make others aware of what is going on. Too many of us live without thinking that much of the rest of the world experiences a radically different experience in every day life. So, help shine the light of truth by sharing with others what is going on in Iraq and Syria.
Although there is the reality of the threat of terrorism here in the US, we are not facing the very real persecution and genocide that our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria are facing. Praying, informing others of this tragic situation are two things we can do to help them.
“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13:3
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