This Is My Justice (Week 5)
June 8, 2011
(If you have not blogged for previous weeks, please do so. Also do not forget to comment on others from the previous week)
This past week Joe Tucker came in to talk with us about his experience in “Mission Year.” Joe spoke a lot with us about the story of The Good Samaritan. The question he asked us to think about was “what is keeping us from helping others?” We all came up with four answers between the story and our own ideas. 1.) We have a hard heart. 2.) We are too busy and it would take extra time that we feel we do not have. 3.) We are afraid. It could be dangerous for us to help others. 4.) We want to ‘stay clean.’ Ministry can get kind of messy, as Joe talked about. I hope that as you have been reading through the chapter this week and processing what Joe talked with us about you have been thinking through this. I also hope that through hearing Joe speak, as well as through reading you have been challenged. I know that as I continue to read the stories of others, I find myself to be challenged in different ways.
Here are the questions for this week:
Reflect on Marianne Williamson’s quote (pg. 108). What do you think it means? Why?
What is a part of your neighborhood, community, country, world that you see injustice in? What can you do to help imagine and then live justice into that area?
“The Body is the most beautiful thing when all the parts are working differently, but together, for the same goal.” Take some time to reflect on what this means for us as a team in Canton this summer. What are some ways that you see this playing out this summer for us?
It might mean that we are too scared to be ourselves, and even though we know who we are inside we don’t want the world to think that we are weird or different, or not cool enough. Or it could mean that we don’t want to be boastful and even though we can be cool, we try to be humble and wait for God to use us in a awesome way. and like who are we to think that we are amazing. we have no right to think that we are better than anybody else.
I see injustice in schools (even though I don’t go to school) . I think that everyone trys to be cool and envade other people’s life. I think that we all need to calm down and know who we are and not be ashamed to stand up for ourselves and be confident in ourselves.
Being a team means to depend on others, and all want to help other people. If we work as a team we could really bless a lot of people and all be able to experience the feeling of accomplishing something together. I’m getting sooooooooooo excited for canton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Emily,
Even though you don’t go to a public school, you are entirely right about what you said. People try to just “act cool”. In school, you do need confidence in yourself. Sometimes what people say can hurt, but it shouldn’t make you any less confident about who you are.
I like how you said that we can feel excited when we accomlish things together. Its a good feeling knowing you played a part in making a difference in your community.
I think this quote means that we are afraid of doing good. We know we have the power to make a difference but we’re not sure if we are ready to give it all up for the good of someone or something else.
I see injustice is school. It is merely a popularity contest. Everyone trying to be “cooler” than all the others around them. It is rarely a matter of someone’s feelings rather than how popular they are. There would be so much more justice if there was a desire to love others. I know from personal experience that it doesnt feel good to be the victim for lack of a better word but I have been the target of insults and rude comments. If only someone had taken the smallest step to ask if i was okay. School would have a lot more justice if we could step out of our little circle of selfishness and reach out to those kids sitting alone or getting laughed at.
I think that if we all work together no matter what. I’m going into this trip with the intention of serving others wholeheartedly. If we all have that intention, the goal will be met…I’m so looking forward to serving with you all
I really appreciate your desire to serve on this trip. Your heart to serve can be seen in many areas, and that is very encouraging to me. Continue to seek out ways to use your talents to encourage others.
I think you’re right when you say that the quot means we are afraid of doing good. Sometimes if we try to help someone we can get more involved than we meant to. I think the quote could have more than one meaning, though.
*Leah,
I can not help but agree with what you said about how “there would be so much more justice if there was a desire to love others.” In my school, there are people that want to be popular and would do anything to anyone just to get that status. For example, there are girls that have the guts to become “friends” with this girl who wouldn’t necessarily ever be considered popular in their eyes. The saddest part is that she believes them all her heart, even though it’s just a joke to them. Sometimes I just can’t believe how people will act towards another person, just to make them look better. But anyways, I liked that you added that to your comment (:
I think it means that sometimes we are afraid we are amazing beyond belief, and if we are, then we aren’t living to our full potential. Being amazing is hard.
In school sometimes (not usually, but sometimes) people don’t like you just because of the way you look or talk or activities your involved in. Alot of the time these people have never put in the effort to get to know you, and if they did perhaps you could be really good friends. I think to bring justice into schools we need to make sure that we are not judging others until we know them.
On our trip we will all have parts to play, and we need to do them as well as we can. If we do then everything else will fall into place.
I meant you’re in the second paragraph.
I think that it means that we are afraid to be the amazing person that God created us to be. We know what we should be doing, but we are afraid to do it because it might be hard or dangerous.
I see injustice a lot at school. Like Leah said, it is a popularity contest. Someone who talks to you in one place may not talk to you in another simply because it could make them “uncool”. They don’t try to get to know you, but don’t like you because you aren’t cool enough. Racism in our schools is also a reason that I see injustice. Some people may not talk to others because of their race.
On the Canton trip, we will each have special talents or abilities that others may not have. If we all work together and take advantage of the special abilities that we posess, we will be a stronger team.
I think Marianne’s quote means that we are able and have the potential to do good and be kind but we are too scared to do it or afraid of what might happen if something goes wrong.
A part of our community that I feel that has injustice is people that are racist, ignorant, and disrespectful. I think some people should go out and encourage them to come to church and improve their morals and beliefs. I think our group of 8th graders is a good example of the body because we all get along and work thongs out when we don’t and hold each other up when they need to.
A story that stuck out to me was Esperanza because it reminded me of the after school program our group went to in Boston all the kids were happy to see us and they all sang Justin beiber songs(Baby) and just seemed to have great spirits just like the kids in the story.
I think the quote means that sometimes people don’t really know them selves or they pretend to be someone there not, but really if we act like who God created us to be then our lives will be great.
I see injustice in people who are abused. I see injustice in people cheating you for your money or people who go against all morals just to get money. I see injustice in people who take advantage in others. I see injustice in kids who have no one to look up to . I see injustice in selfish people. I see injustice in divorces. I see injustice in kids who hardly ever get to see parents. I see injustice in people who think the world is good and everything is fair.
When we go to Canton we have to all work together because if we do we can reach more people. We cant try and be like someone else/want what others get to do because everyone going to Canton is important and meant to be there
I really like your comment about seeing injustice in people who think the world is good and that things are fair. That is a great observation about your world. Unfortunately, some people live thinking that nothing needs to be done to change the world because they think that everything is fair and people just have to work harder or change themselves, etc, etc. That attitude is very unfortunate, because so many people end up sitting on the sidelines blaming others or living self-absorbed lives.
I like what you said about people not knowing who they really are. It’s impossible to really know yourself without knowing your Creator. He knows who you are, so just ask him.
I think her quote means we often are scared to be the person that God wants us to be and made us to be and I think that means telling others about God and praising him.
I see injustice in my school. A lot of people don’t treat others the same because of not being on a sports team. It seems as if most of the “popular kids” are on the sports teams. I think that its not fair because some people don’t like sports and that’s fine because its their opinion.
I think working together and helping each other can help us accomplish our goal and be a better team.
Rachel,
I think you’re right that people shouldn’t treat you differently just because of your opinion. People often judge because of opinions. That shouldn’t happen in a good, loving community.
You are right. Everyone has thier own opinions and no one should be judged differntly because of them.
I think the quote means we know its what God wants us to do but we choose the opposite because we are scared.
I see injustice on the streets of Florida. I saw a homeless guy trying to make either money or friends and the cashier at a store ran out and yelled at him. i don’t think that fair just because he was talking to people makes him a bad person.
I think that we need to help others and work together
I agree with you because our world sees a homeless person and automaticly thinks that something bad is goingt to happen. When really none of that bad stuff is true about them. They are actual people and need and want the same things we do-like a friend. Our world needs to get over sterotypes.
I am really struggling with the quote. I think I know what Marianne is saying, but I am not sure that I can totally agree with it. I understand that some people are afraid to capitalize on the potential within themselves, but I think that it is difficult to let one overarching statement speak for all people. A lot of very self-motivated people do not have such fears. They may have different fears, but I think some people are more like Moses or the prophet Isaiah and struggle with feeling inadequate.
I see a lot of injustice in the way that the cycle of poverty is carried on generation to generation through many people and programs that do not allow people to live up to their true potential. There are a lot of complicating issues, but the problem must be addressed in ways to promote self-worth and value.
Affirming one another is a big part of being a part of a team. We need to build up each other, encouraging all of us to be the best we can be. We need to help each other capitalize on our strengths.
I think that Marianne’s quote is saying that even though we may have the potential to do amazing things, we are afraid to mess up because people may laugh at us.
I see injustice at school. It is a time where people aren’t being themselves and acting “cool” in front of their friends. On top of that some people ridicule others for acting themselves, when actually that is what we should do. It is not right to not be able to be yourself in a public place and that you should have to put on a show in front of people to impress them.
I think that in Canton as a team we should set a big goal and have everyone work on small tasks to get the big goal accomplished. Once we put all of our small, individual tasks together we can accomplish big things.
Koty,
I like how you said that people shouldn’t make fun of others for being themselves, when that is actually what we should be doing in the first place. Also that we should have to put on a show to impress others. That is seen a lot at our school.
well, that should say shouldn’t have to put on a show. not should, because that would be just wrong. oops.
I think that this quote is saying that we are more afraid of all the amazing good that we can do. We tend to think, “Oh I’m only one teenager, what can I possibly do?” Or, “I can’t do much, I might as well not try.” When in reality, we can accomplish many things by ourselves. But if we come together as followers of Christ, that’s when we can accomplish truly amazing feats.
I like how you “Oh I’m the only teenager” because I think a lot of people don’t like doing it because they don’t want to be the only one doing it.
I think this quote means that we shouldn’t be insecure and afraid of coming out and being ourselves. Doing this could really show the world what we can do, and how these skills can do good for other people. We shouldn’t be afraid of messing up once and a while for everyone makes mistakes, and we all tend to learn from them, whether it is good or bad.
A place that I see injustice would have to be a big city, such as Columbus, where there are many homeless people around, and not to mention people of many races. If you walk the streets of cities, you usually see homeless men on corners, gangs in allies, and drug dealers at night. Automatically, most people would assume that Mexicans and African Americans would be the people starting gangs, and selling drugs. In that case, whites don’t want anything to do with them and would call them “dirty” people. The question most whites wouldn’t ask to themselves about is “how clean am I? and who am I to tell someone there are not as good as I am?” If only this kind of injustice would stop, then maybe we could have more peace on the streets in the places we live.
To me this means that while we are in Canton we can all find small ways to help the team as a whole, and by the time we leave we can stand back and see that all those small things added up and accomplished what we came there to do.
I think the quote means that we are afraid to think that we could be better than we are right nowband it scares us to know this and not become the better us, because of this we try to make ourselves ignorant and blind in this part of our life.
I see injustice in the way we are building this generation, for example in today’s society you are thought of as cooler if you do drugs and smoke. Where as 50-100 years ago this was not the case. We can change this by changing how we think about these things. It has been scientifically prooven that both these things can hurt/kill you. So ask your selves this… Why in the world would it be cool to kill myself.
I think that in canton will point something out to each of us that we should be trying harder to do and when we do these things it will help our team out and set us closer to one common goal.
I agree how you said that if we really think about before you do it you’ll understand that it is not good.
i think Williamson’s quote means that we are all intiminated to be great because that means we are going to be aknowledged. we are going to be different from everyone else around us. But we owe it to ourselves to make a difference in the world, even if its a small one. Because one small difference can cause a chain reaction and change the world.
I see injustice in the way we judge people. We tend to judge people by the way they look, who they hang out with, and where they live. In Matthew 7:1 is says ” Do not judge or you too will be judged.” It isnt our job to decide if you are better then someone. God doesnt do that so we shouldnt either.
This quote reminds me a lot of 1 Corinthians 12. More specifically 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 which says “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” I believe that that both of these things mean that if each one of us (the parts) work together (as one body) we can do so much more then each one of us could do alone.
I think the quote means that we are afraid to be ourslfs
i would go back to boston there is unjustice and wee could help by going there doing trips like last year but we could go lots more and try to get homeless people enough money to like rent hotels and stuff like that
i c it playing out us helping people out
I think that the quote means that people are afraid to show who they really are. Like people being gay and coming out for the first ime. Every human is powerful beyond belief but most people are afraid to show just how powerful they are. Thats what the quote means.