Thursday, November 6, 2008

'Break my Heart For What Breaks Yours'

Over the past few weeks I have been learning so much about the history of the Indigenous people of Australia. I thought I knew a lot before, but after taking the Australian Indigenous Theology class, then coming home to 'debrief' with two people that have committed the better part of their lives to ministry with Indigenous people and hearing their stories... I am just in shock at the things that have happen. Things like, the Aboriginals being considered to be less than human- and likened to monkey's. This was by the Christian's too... they did not see the need to 'evangelise' to the aboriginals because they did not consider them to have souls. They were taken from their homes and put on reserves and forced to do whatever the white man wanted them to do....they worked, but only received less than half of their payment because the government was putting the other portion into a 'savings' account for them... funny they have never seen that money, even today. I could go on and on about the way they were treated....
but really what I want to say, and what breaks my heart even more, is the fact that this same sort of thing has happened, and still is in many places, to so many other people around the world.
There is a song that I love, the words are an expression of what I feel. The song is Hosanna and here are the words that I sing and pray into my life daily:

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I walk from earth into Eternity

I can't change what has happen in the past, but I certainly will pray that God will use me to make a difference NOW and in the future.
I want to share what God is doing in my heart... but also, I encourage you.. educate yourself on the the indigenous people of your country. You may be surprised what you learn.