“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 10:17-19, NIV
Every person is made in God’s image, to be valued, cherished, and protected. He see’s us all as his children. It is not his desire to see one child living as a refugee, or thirsting for water, as others stand by idly.
I look at my nieces and nephew – being around them brings me so much joy, especially this time of year. They laugh, start the day with food, go off to school, and every night they go to bed feeling secure in a warm house. Traveling with World Vision, every trip has one thing in common – children. Without pretense or discretion, children are often one of the first to greet you in the community – smiling, waving, and shouting variations of ‘hello.’ They want to show you who they are, where they live, and want to learn about you. But behind the smiles and curiosity, there are often signs of malnutrition. You may see them selling goods, when you know it is the time of day when they should be in school. The homes they go back to often do not have electricity or a clean water source, or they may not be safe. Why do these children live so differently than my nieces and nephew; do their lives matter less? No.
Every girl whose life is traded for marriage, every child who is trafficked, every mother who is not cared for during pregnancy – these incidences are merely symptoms of a society where all people are not valued. Whenever we see injustice and sit silently as a witness, our silence says that one life matters more than another. Speak up and join us in prayer.
Heavenly Father, you created us all in your image to be valued and loved. Give us courage to not close our eyes or hearts when we see injustice; allow us to use the voice you gave us to speak out. We pray that you create a lens, so that every life is seen as valuable – no matter where a person was born or lives, whether they are rich or poor, male or female, the same as us or different. May everyone be treated with respect and dignity. For we know, the value we place on the least of these is the value we place on you. Lord, please hear our prayer. Amen.
Are you interested in staying informed on issues affecting people facing poverty?
You can raise your voice for justice alongside children and families all over the world. Sign up for World Vision email updates about important issues and actions you can take to make a difference.
Photo: Members of World Vision-led Children’s Parliament pose in front of the setting sun in Huanta, Peru. These youth leaders, most of them formerly sponsored children, are confidently taking charge their community’s future. © 2014 World Vision/ photo by Eugene Lee