GOD LOVES SYRIA

I often get the feeling that the world is teetering on the edge of a precipice, with the increase in wars, disasters, conflicts and killings, all of which have destroyed humanity, and God’s creation of this humanity in His own image, and that Satan has come to uproot the very spirit of love that God has instilled in human beings.

Love, Compassion and Sacrifice have become, in our lexicon, merely ornate concepts, inapplicable in everyday life. But that is why Jesus came, to plant a smile on the face of a child for whom war has destroyed family, and robbed him of his most prized possession – for a woman wailing her dead child and hovering over the edge of insanity over her loss. Jesus came to bind the brokenhearted, heal the wounded, and encourage the insane, and this is the very same role that followers of Jesus must undertake on this earth.

This is why God has placed us here, and called us to go to those very places where the needs abound. As a Bible College, we heeded this call and command of Jesus, who commissioned us. We set out to this destination, not knowing what to expect, or what situations we were likely to encounter. We embarked on this journey because of our strong commitment to the commission given to us by Jesus Christ Himself, and to reflect this compassion to those people who had lost so much, in some cases, everything, and all they had left was a dim glimmer of hope in the midst of their overwhelming suffering and pain. We encountered numerous families who had reached the end of their rope, and were gasping for breath! Many were injured and overwhelmed by the events that had overtaken them.

We were touched by their sorrow and brokenness, and we listened to them patiently, in spite of the horror of their situations and the pain of hearing the details recounted. Our aim was to plant seeds of hope in hearts trampled by war and lost safety and security.

How kind and gentle and generous to us they were, in spite of their limited resources and difficult circumstances. We tried to give them hope for the morrow and share the concept that the ability to love covers a multitude of sins; that real love is a two-edged sword, and can lead to an infilling with a spirit of forgiveness as well – that because God has forgiven us, we too must forgive those who have mistreated us. Although this is difficult, God Himself can give us this spirit of forgiveness. It is not by any merit we possess, but it is God Himself who can enable us to be gracious.

Few words sufficed to encourage them and provide hope. They were so happy to encounter us – young people, men, women, and children as well. We hardly did anything, but God was working through us. During His earthly life, Jesus went about healing the sick and binding the broken hearts. As His children, we wanted to be obedient and do the same.

Written in Arabic by: Jabra Jaber, 4th year at Bethlehem Bible College.
Translated to English by: Soheir Girgis
cover photo by: http://news.yahoo.com/snowstorm-brings-misery-syria-refugees-111603945.html