God Keep Our Land

So some pretty terrible things happened in Canada this week. My thoughts and prayers have been with the families of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.

This was a terrible tragedy.  Sad.  Heartbreaking.  I spent the day on Wednesday and Thursday glued to the internet.  And I must say that it mostly made me proud to be Canadian.  The media handled it amazingly and most people on social media did too.  A few people drove me nuts, like the guy who used it as a platform to complain about the health care system or the people who used it to slam the military, but overall Canadians were respectful.

Some things really stood out to me in the past week though.  For instance, we had two men killed on Canadian soil and it was big news.  Huge news.  Our country is so safe, so peaceful that two soldiers dying here invited all day coverage.  Not that I think it shouldn’t have, because I too think that it was huge news.  But here’s the thing, in most countries, that would be considered a good day.

I’ve talked to so many Canadians that live in a North American bubble and think that the rest of the world is just like us, or at least not as bad as a commercial about world hunger makes it look.

I’ve spent an entire afternoon visiting in houses made of cardboard.

I’ve walked through villages where there was one well in the middle of town.

I’ve observed children crawling through a garbage dump, looking for food.

I’ve seen refugees, rocked orphans in my house, given money to four year olds begging on the street, walked over open sewers, been in war-torn parts of the world.

Once you’ve seen these things, you can’t look at your country the same.  Why do I get to live here?  Why do I not have to live in fear or poverty?  Why are there not bombs going off in my neighbourhood?  Why do I have freedom, why are my girls safe, my son not forced to kill as a child?

I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I do know what I have to do about it.  There’s a saying that with great privilege comes great responsibility.  I think as Canadians, we need to use this opportunity to remind us to change the world.  Yes, change the world.  This week a tiny smudge of the terror that the rest of the world feels was brought to our country.  Let it give us a taste and challenge us to change the world.

How exactly does one change the world?  Seems a little overwhelming!  Changing the world happens with one thing at a time.  Giving money to an orphanage.  Supporting missionaries or works that are making a difference in the world.  Giving up some Timmy’s to support a child.  Giving to your local food bank.  Working at a women’s shelter.  Educating yourself and your children about the world around you.  Military or political service to your country.  Looking after the senior on your street.  Sharing God’s love and gospel with everyone you meet.

The world, for most people, is a terrible place.  Most Canadians have the ability and I would even say responsibility to try and change it a little.

I would proudly say with Prime Minister Harper that we will not be intimidated, but more than that, let us be emboldened to stand up to the evil in this country and others and do whatever it is that we can to make a difference.