Have You Heard? Do You Care?

I rolled out of a warm bed around 7:15 this morning. My feet landed on new carpet in our home. I made my way to the shower and received warm water to bathe. "Man it's good to have what I have!" I brushed my teeth and eventually made my way to a job where I lead a local church in reaching our community for Christ. Our church meets weekly for corporate worship. The hours are published and easy to see for everyone interested. We gather and serve our community at least monthly. We do these things without fear of persecution.

It's true that some may sneer or think how gullible we are for believing in One we can't see. But physical persecution is something we needn't fear. That's not true for many brothers and sisters throughout the world. Susan Wunderink posted yesterday at Christianity Today regarding the death of a sister. Gayle Williams was killed for serving those around her. It seems she wasn't evangelizing - technically. But the Taliban thought her to be a threat and disposed of her.

The tragedy that I think of includes Gayle. But also tragic is those of us who return to our safe places of ministry, employment, and even recreation, without knowing or caring about a faithful sister who was murdered for serving those different than she. I'm reminded of how much I take for granted, how blessed I am, and how those who God has placed in harm's way need our prayers for God's safekeeping. So tell me. Have you heard? Do you care?