CAN YOU HEAR THEM?
When I was little, I remember watching my dad working on tractors, combines, and trucks. I would ask dad, "Is the vehicle broken down again?" He would say he heard something that did not sound right or the vehicle was acting up. Dad always said if he didn't pay attention to how the vehicle was running or ignore the sounds the vehicle was making, it would cost him a lot more money to repair it later.
Another memory from my childhood and as a young adult was watching the adults as they sat around the table discussing issues from planting, harvesting, or what was taking place globally. Sometimes we kids could join them as they drank coffee and ate a snack. However, with the more severe and significant issues, they sent us outside to play.
Today the adults spend time on social media discussing all that is transpiring in our country and world. However, there are made up rules of what you can say or not say in the comment section. Boy, it can be brutal especially if you don't see eye to eye or have the same mindset. If we had these same discussions sitting at a table, we would listen a little better and be much kinder. Unfortunately, when we hide behind the computer screen, we seem to forget to be nice to each other.
There is a problem with this situation because we aren’t sitting at a table, and we are becoming offended on social media platforms. Therefore, we are no longer listening to one another, and we are not seeing or grasping what is going on behind the scenes. Because of this, we think everything is made up and a conspiracy, especially if it goes against our thought process or a belief system. However, the problem with this is no one can hear the cries of those in need.
So, as we are divided by our ideologies and political parties, I want to ask you,
"Can you hear their cries for help?”
“Does anyone care?”
What are the costs of not paying attention to the cries for help? A broken and wounded world.
It is difficult to hear the truth of what is going on behind the scenes. When I was a legal secretary for a county prosecutor, I had the opportunity to sit with victims violated by some of the most horrendous crimes. I must be honest; I wanted to run away and pretend that what I was hearing didn't happen. When I would go home my heart was broken, and the victims' stories would keep playing in my head. My heart was crushed by what they had to bear.
Because someone listened to these wounded souls, the evil deeds were brought out into the open and to justice. As a result, the victim's healing could begin.
We can look back to the Israelites in Egypt when God had approached Moses. "Now indeed the outcry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen how the Egyptians are oppressing them." (Exodus 3:9).
What if we are a part of God's plan to help those in need. God hears and sees everything. He knows the pain, fears, and hears the cries for help. He is looking for people to take courage, listen and rise up to those who need our help. As Christians, we must be okay with the uncomfortable. We must start facing the truth and listen to the broken hearted or the cries of those in need of help.
Like my dad, you can either listen and do something about it or choose to ignore it and pay the higher costs. It is time for us to come together, listen and help those who are crying out, “Can you hear me?”