By Ife J. Ibitayo
In the past couple weeks, stories on the plight of the Afghan people have filled the news. I’ve never seen anything quite like this. In the space of a few short months, an extremist Islamic regime toppled a US-backed democratic government. And the crisis continues. Many Americans are waiting with bated breath to see if our troops, our citizens, and our interpreters will safely escape the country. But those important individuals represent only a tiny fraction of the nearly forty million people who live in Afghanistan today.
In Another’s Shoes
Some have spoken of the value of “walking a mile in another person’s shoes,” but very few of us will have that experience unless life forces us to. There once was a young lady who had a crush on me in college. We had been good friends for over a year, but I just didn’t feel the same way about her. I saw the frustration in her eyes, heard the sadness in her voice. I witnessed her pain, her near rage, but I couldn’t relate to it.
Flash forward nearly a decade and I understand it all to well (see “Heartbreak Hero”). Soon after my own heart-rending experience, I was tempted to call her up and beg for her forgiveness. I’d do anything to heal her anguish then because I wish someone could heal my pain now. By sharing a similar experience as her, I gained unparalleled empathy for her.
Conclusion
Here in the United States, we’re fortunate. It’s practically inconceivable that our own democratic government will be usurped by tyranny. It’s unlikely that we’ll have terrorists storming our homes, threatening our safety. We’ll probably never find ourselves trying to escape the United States for our dear lives. But imagine if we we were? Imagine if you were?
I don’t know what I’m asking for us to do. Whatever it is goes beyond shaking our heads and clucking our tongues, beyond political parties and impeachment. It may begin with fasting and prayer. It may end with money wiring and a plane ride. But let it be something. We may not be cramming into planes to escape the only country we’ve ever known, but other people just like us are. If we never end up marching the streets of Kabul to protest extremism with them, we can still be Jesus’ hands and feet to the refugees that come to us.
“‘Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
“‘Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
“‘The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. ”’”
(Matthew 25:34-40)