I know you’re lost and drifting
but the clouds are lifting
don’t give up you have somewhere to turn.”*
Water is life-sustaining.
Recently in court a man was charged with providing comfort to “Illegal aliens.” One thing he provided was water, for people who trudged through a long trek in hot, dry weather, escaping terror and poverty from their home.** Life-sustaining water, without which one would die after a few days.
Some time ago there were reports and videos showing a man working for our government emptying jugs of water that he came across in the desert spaces near the Mexico/U.S. border.*** He knew the water was placed there for immigrants. He knew they would be thirsty, dehydrated, perhaps near death without having life-sustaining water. He emptied them anyway.
The court case ended in a hung jury, a reflection of where we are at today in America: some believe it’s okay to directly cause harm to an “illegal” while some believe in the sanctity of providing life-sustaining water to those who are thirsty. The border patrol agent dumping water did not have any charges filed against him. Yet his actions may have cost some people their lives.
This reminds me of the situations during the days of slavery and the Underground Railroad. It was against the law to help a slave escape or to nourish and harbor them. Conscientious objectors knew slavery was wrong, so they helped anyway. They knew that these people’s lives were worth so much more than the prices they were traded on. They were human beings, worthy of being treated with care.
Years ago someone came up (wisely) with the phrase: What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD). Now it’s even a hashtag on twitter. Although our country is founded on separation of church and state, many in government say they have Christian values, quote the Bible and use it often to justify whatever their latest cause is. Perhaps they should be asked by their constituents and the media, What Would Jesus Do?
Perhaps we all need to ask ourselves as well. Theresa M
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” - Jesus in Matthew 25:40
* song “Candle on the Water” by Joel Hirschhorn and Al Kasha
** nytimes.com/2019/06/11/us/scott-warren-arizona-deaths
*** washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/01/03/border-patrol-accused
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