We all crave justice. No matter how different we are, we all have this in common. We feel it in different ways, but it’s a universal desire. Some express this craving by battling for our environment. They recycle and eat vegan foods. They bike when possible. Others rage at the partiality found in politics, sure that the opposing party is the root of all evil. Some people give to charities, others battle rival gangs across town. We may rarely agree about what we think the most glaring injustice is, but we all know that it must be addressed. Even unjust people hate injustice.
This is one of the most powerful arguments for the existence of God that I can think of. Why would we all crave justice? Even in our broken and biased ways, the desire remains in each of us. How could we conceive of something being wrong, unless something deep inside of us knows that something else is right? God has placed that longing deep inside each of us, and it reminds us of what could and should be.
Here are a couple of thoughts about battling injustice:
Injustice Can’t Be Ignored
That voice inside of you that screams out against things that you consider unfair or wrong will not be silenced. Your desire for justice is hardwired into your soul. The more we try to ignore the injustice around us the more numb our soul becomes. C.S. Lewis described this process over time as becoming less and less human. You are not fully alive unless you are battling for justice for your neighbor next door or for people two continents away.
You Have A Crucial Role To Play
The world needs you. God has a plan for battling injustice and you are a key player. There are places that you can reach that no one else can reach, and people you can help that no one else can will even notice. You are not perfect. You may not even be aware of the gifts God has given you, but you have exactly what it takes to make the difference that God created you to make. Someone, somewhere is hurting or struggling, and God will care for them by sending them you.
The Way You Define Justice Will Define Your Life
This thought needs more space than this post will allow, but here’s the idea: If the only injustice you fight is for your own personal comfort and gain, then you are not fighting for justice at all. Justice isn’t about a political party or school of thought. It’s about people. It’s about people you know and people you don’t. It’s about giving yourself for something bigger than you. It’s about feeling the pain of others without being overcome by it. It’s about offering hope. It’s about never giving up.
The world needs you to make a difference, and God has given you the tools, insight, and experience to make it happen. You can’t stop all of the injustice around you, but you can battle what’s within your reach!
Picture Courtesy: By Lonpicman (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons