Justice For Me And Thee... But Mostly For Me.

Justice.

How we all long for it. Especially me. Especially for me.

As I watch my kids, I am struck by this same attitude. It reeks. It's putrid. The love of self which sees no other. It poisons their interactions. It breaks my heart.

I watch a child of mine who is deeply troubled by the loss of a few dollars spent toward meeting the needs of the homeless. Will it hinder the odds of getting that desired new video game for Christmas?

I see this sort of self-centered fixation played out over and over. All I have to do is watch my kids each day. And what troubles me most is that these behaviors are just less refined versions of things taking place in my own heart. And God is watching me.

I've been robbed of a few things in life. For a man whose wealth is not measured in millions, I've lost a surprising amount of money to unscrupulous men. I spend a lot of time working on forgiving them. A lot of time. I just cannot seem to let go of what they did to me. Will God bring justice? Will these men pay for their misdeeds?

But statistically speaking, I am one of the richest, most blessed, comfortable men in the world. The earthly injustices I have endured have yet to really deprive me of a single basic needs.

I eat healthy meals whenever I want. Exquisitely tasty.

I get health care when I am sick. The doctor is competent.

I sleep about 8 hours a night. In a warm bed.

I work no more than 10 hrs a day. Sitting relaxed in front of a computer screen, with soft fingers.

Others are not so lucky. Need I recite the litany of evils around the globe? No. But I cannot help but name a few anyway...

A life marked by malnutrition or death by starvation? Ethiopia.

A life marked by 16 hour days of exhausting work? South-East Asia. Africa.

A life of oppression? North Korea.

A life of sexual abuse? India. Thailand.

Jeremiah 21:12
This is what the LORD says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor
the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire
because of the evil you have done—
burn with no one to quench it.

What evil would it be that God is referring to in the above verse?

For some, to be sure, the evil would be things they do to others.

For many others, however, the evil God will not forget is that we did nothing to stop it.

Justice? Yes, I want justice. But why is it my heart is not concerned for those who need it most?

Lord, grant me a heart that aches for justice. Justice for others.