Today, 30 November 2009, is the fifth day of our 16 Days Campaign. On this fifth day we’re celebrating faith, human rights and anti-genocide leader, Rev. Gloria White-Hammond. Like the Reverend, I carry my faith with me at all times and it is a vital part of who I am. In addition to helping mold someone into who they are I also feel that faith should and can shape what a person is and does. As an action on this Thanksgiving weekend, I chose to reflect on the role that my faith plays in my work fighting genocide and working to bring peace and stability to the people of Darfur and Sudan.
Living during this time of the world in which we find so many evils, calamities, and tribulations, one can easily become let down with their fellow man. It really doesn’t take much effort or thought to look at what’s going on, and conclude that…“you know, there sure are a lot of problems out there, and I’m just going to worry about myself.”
After all “What can I do”, you ask.
In the Book of Ecclesiastes (3:1-8) God, through Solomon, tells us that there is a time for everything – a season, actually. A season, as you know is a time that has a defined purpose, whether that purpose is defined as weather, war, peace, or harvest, all seasons have a beginning and an end. We’re no different either-though we think of our long lives, they are, in fact, just short seasons in the big picture.
This said, I will not allow myself to be a bystander is these troubled times. I will not allow the seasons of trouble, hunger, genocide, and war to begin before me and end long after I have returned to dust. I will use my faith and resolve and I will be Ecclesiastes. I will be the changes in season that I want to see, and I’ll live well because I’m lucky to live in this time. I will be happy with work done towards the betterment of my fellow man – this because I, as God instructs me, should “enjoy the good of all my labor, for it is the gift of God.”
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: 16 Days, Activism, Darfur, Gloria White-Hammond, Peace, Sudan, Violence Against Women
