You are the refugee

So this week an image of an innocent, blood-covered, Syrian child swept across the Internet. Once you've seen it, you can't really get it out of your mind. It's simply another reminder of the horrors that war creates.

The Syrian conflict is as easily explainable as it is to stop. All the different groups and nations who have a hand or interest in the conflict are too numerous to count, but one thing can be said: Almost everyone wants to see this violence stop.You look at the face of the bloodied child and you cry. You look at the millions of families who have had to leave everything they ever knew, and you ask yourself, "Where will they go?", " How did it come to this?" , and "Why?" . The reason is simple:  we are all refugees.

The constant statement we hear of course is "These acts of horror prove that there can be no good and all-knowing God." , when in reality these acts of horror are just a reminder that we are not home yet. A reminder that this world is fallen. A reminder that this world is depraved. Syria, North Korea, Zika, the recent riots, Trump.......seeing these you can't help but realize YOU. ARE. NOT. HOME.

Something is wrong.....

When humans rebelled against God at the beginning of time, sin entered the world. It was like watching food coloring fill up a bottle of water, changing everything from it's original design into a new one.  Leaving us with something broken.

We can still see beautiful things in this life, blue skies, endless forests, a child's laughter, or the warmth of love. But we shouldn't be surprised when this world lets us down. Syria is a symptom of the cancer in our world.

Reflecting on this, we can take joy in knowing that God didn't leave us to stay in this misery. He gave us hope. He gave you, me and everyone else a chance to shrug off the grime of this world if we accept the forgiveness that Jesus Christ' death and resurrection brings.

So when you look at the eyes of the Syrian boy, see more than his sadness. See the damage that sin has left on our world, and see the need for the gospel, the life-saving, hope-bringing, world-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.