“The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again.” Alan Paton in Cry, the Beloved Country
I’ve been reading Cry,
the Beloved Country after a friend recommended it. As I came across this
quote it jumped off the page. It resonated not only in regards to South Sudan
but to my heart as well.
I’m broken. I’m a mess! Being a missionary doesn’t stop me
from having horrible thoughts about others, harsh words and actions rooted in
unbelief of the goodness of God. This is not tragic and is no surprise to God.
South Sudan has had some very hard years. There are still
many struggles and areas that to many are broken. Broken justice. Broken roads.
Broken schools. Again, this is no surprise to God.
At the root of all of this brokenness, both theirs and mine,
is a broken relationship. My mess is rooted in my number one priority being me.
The issues of South Sudan, while very complex, can also on an individual level
be traced back to broken relationships. Relationships where people are looking
out for themselves not trusting there is a God who loves them and is for them
and is good.
I need and South Sudan needs mending. I’m not exactly sure
what this looks like. As I recognized more and more of my mess the cross of
Christ gets bigger and bigger in my life and my faith grows. My relationship
and trust in Christ slowly starts to be mended. My hope for South Sudan is the
same. My hope is that on a personal, individual basis people will start to see
their own messy hearts and seek for them to be mended by Jesus.
Maybe this will slowly start the process of mending justice, roads and schools.
