For Rocks?

This weekend I watched a movie titled: Blood Diamond. Maybe you saw it, maybe you picked it up at Blockbuster because you heard that it was the action film of the year or perhaps you're a fan of Leonardo Dicaprio. Those are a few reasons I rented it. But I found that when I watched it I discovered more than a movie. That little piece of cinema changed a lot for me. I watched as children were handed guns and told to use them. I watched as men had their hand cut off and women were raped. Why? For some shiny rocks- for diamonds.

It brought up a lot of questions for me. Why do we continue to hate and kill? What causes us to completely ignore compassion and instead turn out attention to destruction? There is a quote from the movie that has stuck with me. It has been churning around and around in my head all weekend: Sometimes I wonder... will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? Then I look around and I realize... God left this place a long time ago. Is it true? Has God left Africa?

No I think not. I think that God is there. But it is hard to find him. It sure feels as if He has turned his head. I think that the best possible thing I can say about that is I don't know the "why's." I have asked, pleaded, screamed at God and I have no answers. But this I know: I know that He loves these children. I know that He cares about what happens to Africa and I know that I have to do something. I cannot sit at home and pretend that everything is fine. Everything is not fine. But there is hope and I must cling to that. There are children who have been made to do horrible things, they have seen awful things, but they are still children and I can see no other purpose in my life than to love them. I want nothing but to love them. My hope is that I will soon figure out a practical place to put that love.