Immigration issues bring to mind the fact that mercy always costs. It does, in fact, cost the merciful. I can???t seem to find any way around this reality and expect that in the end, God???s love calls us each to live in such a way.
It seems obvious nations should and do have authority to determine who they welcome and who they away.
Alas, there are times when tough love is needed- and that rarely -feels- like mercy to those on the receiving end.
God apparently either orchestrates or allows situations to arise where each of us find ourselves in need of mercy and grace. The issue is that we???re all so much better at demanding it for ourselves than extending it to others.
I love Australia and have toured there a number of times over the years. In some ways like -and others quite unlike the U.S.- they are struggling with a great many illegal would-be immigrants. More and more are children. Some of this is about smuggling kids as well… so the issues are thick and not at all clean and neat.
Today I read in the BBC news (normally my first choice) that there is a call by some in Oz to send unaccompanied children to Malaysia rather than extend immigration privileges.
This seems such a hard line to me. Nor do I think the U.S. have much to say in that we take some rather hard lines (regarding mercy to illegals here) that I am personally not in agreement with.
I don't think there are easy answers to these matters- and yet:
Mercy DOES cost. It costs on many levels. Fact. What I'm concerned about is that here seems to be an increasing lack of it -even among actual Christians in such situations.
God help us! -Glenn
glennkaiser.com 