11 Mar – Can You Hear Them Crying?

Tonight I am ashamed of my country of birth. Actually I am more than ashamed, I’m  plain disgusted with the depths of darkness people can stoop to.

Whilst everyone is rushing about buying up copious amounts of toilet paper and  worrying about a virus they might possibly catch, 80 MP’s of the New Zealand parliament just agreed to infanticide – as in the intentional killing of infants. How you may ask? Because they voted down an amendment to ensure that if an abortion is unsuccessful and a child is born alive that this child will receive the same medical care and treatment as any child born. In other words they voted in not accepting the amendment that abortion practitioners will leave a baby still alive after an abortion to die!

Whatever your thoughts on abortion, female rights, and whatever else society can come up with to validate the killing of unborn children, surely even these people can see the horrendous act of placing a living, breathing, helpless little baby in a bucket and allowing this child to die a cruel and painful death!

When is our selfishness and lack of respect for human life going to reach it’s pinnacle? This is 2020 and yet it seems we are as barbaric as our predecessors were. They too cast their unwanted children, elderly, sick and those unable to work out in the gutter to beg, starve and perish. How are we with our education, technology and modern thought and enlightenment any different or better?

Interestingly it was the early followers of Jesus’s teachings who began to bring those cast out ones into their homes, families and communities; offering protection, shelter and a chance at life once again.  It was these people – the early church who rose up in their actions of counter- culture and began to shape and change the face of society towards compassion and kindness, rather than brutality, cruelty and death.

Today, I am deeply ashamed of my country of birth, but I am also ashamed of what we have allowed as a community and generation. We came so far, only to slip back into repeating the depravity and cruelty of our ancient past.

However I am also in my discomfort and disappointment reminded of the fact that a small band of followers of Jesus were once able to change the world’s mindset and belief system towards valuing and honouring life…. which means it can be done again.  

Don’t sit back today. Lift your head and your hands up and determine to use your voice, your vote, your prayers, your strength, your gifts and your will to change the tide once more, because today there are little babies crying out from their “death buckets” desperately hoping that we do.

“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)