The Misplaced Anger of the Immigration Debate from us less than loving Christians

How many times have we heard that “they are taking all of our jobs” as the primary reason we need a wall built around this country or the primary reason we need gun-toting vigilantes’ helping our border patrol cruising our lower borders?  If you have heard this, then I can only assume that you must have forgotten that many of our ancestors came here as immigrants whether they came of their own free will or against their will.  Regardless of how they got here, we are here now and instead of dealing with the real reason for our so-called immigration problem, we still wish to believe the answer lies within a strong more restrictive entry into this country.  We still wish to believe that those who travel those hundreds of miles are not here to seek a better life but seek to infiltrate and rob us of the wondrous opportunities that America provides.  Well I hate to burst your bubble, America but nothing could further from the real truth.

Our fight for equality and inclusion into the woven fabric of this great nation has nothing to do with those who cross our borders they are simply a product of a less involved more selfish us period.  We choose to direct our anger toward those who mostly are truly seeking a better life for them and their families instead of where that anger should reside.  We should not be aiming our man-made weapons at those struggling to reach a more inclusive and welcoming country but instead we should be directing our anger and voice to those whom we elected to fix the problem.  We spend hours sitting around blaming those who travel when we should be blaming those who sit.  Those who sit in our local, state and federal governments and do nothing to make our situation better either through legislation or reduction in red tape.  Our real anger should be directed at none other than simply ourselves.

You see America, we are the cause of all our problems and if we are the cause then surely we can be the solution.  We have a fixation that money solves every problem and so we elevate money into categories unseen before.  We complain about big money in our politics but it is the greed of those we elect to see money instead of seeing people and we do nothing about it.  We complain that they are here taking our jobs but we refuse to acknowledge that it is big business who hires those new to this country as a way to pay less and make more money and we refuse to do anything about it.  We complain that we can never get ahead in our lives but we ignore that it is those like us who makes the rules which keeps us searching for other ways to thrive and survive and we do nothing about it.

We could easily fix money in politics if all of us take responsibility for the votes that we cast or not cast.  If we become more aware of what promise are made on the campaign trail and whether those promises are ever fulfilled or not.  If they are then it makes good sense to maintain those elected but if they are not then it’s time to issue them their “pink slips”.  In this way, no matter how much money is given a candidate or how many ads they run, the final say as to who gets in who does not does not reside with big business but with the majority of those still struggling to get ahead and is not this what those we claim as our “founding fathers” meant crafting the constitution?

We can fix that issue of taking our jobs by simply either taking that less than flattering position or keeping our mouths shut when it is taken by someone else.  By using that entry level opportunity to show our worth to that company instead of just saying how great we are.  By doing all that we can, within reason, to demonstrate that our addition to the rolls of any place was the best decision any manager or owner could have ever made.  Now this does not mean becoming a “yes man or woman” nor does it mean sacrificing your true essence in order to keep a job.  It does mean that being where you are supposed to be at the time you are supposed to be there is key.  It does mean that doing whatever task assigned to you at the best of your ability is paramount and it does mean that treating others as you would like to be treated in all situations is essential.

We can fix this failure to get ahead simply by holding those accountable for the rules that they make which keeps us looking for other ways to thrive and survive.  The rules that say, those newly welcomed in this country can get a small business loan much easier than those born here.  That those who cannot speak English are welcomed to social security but those who have lived here all their lives must prove that they deserve it.  That a veteran who had pledged his or her life means the world to you in a time of war but once those conflicts are over, they are quickly forgotten and ignored.  That a single mom or dad is not worthy of getting the help, he or she needs tackling the most important and stressful job any human being could ever have and that is raising children.  That those born here must prove who they are and where they came from while those new to this country need only apply.

Bottom line, God now only asks of us to do two things which is far easier to do than live by the Ten Commandments.  They are to know within our heart, mind body and soul that Jesus is Lord, he was murdered on the cross and shed his blood for our sins and he rose.  The final thing he asks us to do is treat others as we would like to be treated.  This does not mean only on Sundays or some special holiday; this means we need to accomplish these two things each and every day, each and every moment we are here on this earth.  It means that if we wish to save our very souls we need to share what we have learned with all who wish to listen and not just those who agree with us.  We need to respect their truths even if it differs from ours and see disagreements as nothing but a golden opportunity to learn and finally grow into that better person, that kind of human being, that perfect Christian that God has always known us to be.