Justice and Dignity for all

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?


This is a promise that is easy to affirmative and difficult to live out. In an ideal world there would be justice for all, people treated with fairness and equality, and everyone is able to and does live in harmony with one another. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world and everyday people face injustice, strife, prejedice and degrading situations and treatment from other people. The news is constantly filled with stories of injustice, of things that don't seem right and of conflicts between individuals, groups and nations. We react to such news with sadness, and frustration, and even despair. What we do after that goes to heart of this question. We have the choice to throw our arms up in resignation that  nothing will ever change or we can seek to do something that will change it. Yet even if we do something,  it is natural to wonder what we as one person can do to change such huge problems.

As Christians we are called to follow in Jesus' footsteps, and that means seeking to change the world one person or issue at a time. There are various course of action we can take. We can begin with prayer, for the situation, for change and for wisdom about other ways we can respond. Taking it a step further, we can speak out, calling attention to the situation. For some people this is an opportunity to become involved in the resolution, but this takes courage and trust in God, or we can financially  support those who are. While we may not be able to change the whole world, we can change our immediate surroundings, we can be intentional about how we treat others. Following on last week's question, when we seek to see Jesus in others it naturally follows we will be more likely to show respect and seek dignity for them.

One of our hinderances to striving for justice and peace among all people is not knowing the facts, so being easily swayed by whoever shouts the loudest. So we need to educate ourselves about the issues so that we can speak and act based on truth rather than other people's opinions.



Reflection Questions:

1. What do I do when I hear about injustice or lack of peace?
2. What one issue can I take action on? What are steps I can commit to today?
3. How can I change the situations in my own environment?
4. What issue can I educate myself on, so as to better respond?