An ongoing conversation about America, the Middle East, and Jesus

I remember walking through the streets of the Gaza Strip a few months after 9/11 when a traditional Muslim woman in a burqa approached me.
“You’re from America, aren’t you?” she asked. “I can tell by your blue eyes.” “Yes I am.”
She continued: “Did you see on the news the people in Gaza celebrating in the streets when the buildings collapsed in New York City?”
“I am afraid I did,” I replied sadly.
“Well, I wasn’t cheering. I was crying for all of those families who lost their loved ones. That was a tragedy, and many of the Muslim people were grieving with you.”
With that, the woman walked away. She obviously needed to get this off her mind, and I was glad to be the one to hear it. I believe God prearranged this conversation for my sake and for the sake of the small group with me. Here was this woman reaching out to me, which would have been considered out of bounds since she was a practicing Muslim. But she did it anyway.

I thought to myself, We can work with these people! This woman’s message showed that she cared and that not all Muslims want to wipe out the West. Her heart came through, and I could see her grief as she recounted the tragedy that America had just endured.
Later on I had to ask myself. “Why is it that I assumed that all people living in the Gaza Strip were terrorists?” Not to minimize that there are terrorists in the Gaza Strip…plenty of ‘em believe me. But many of the people that live there just flat aren’t ” into Jihad.”  They’d rather feed their children, send them to a good school, get them married and have lot’s of grandchildren running around when they break the fast on Ramadan.

Yet my “world view” of Gaza was shaped completely by the news that as we all know is run by the entertainment industry which has the big goal of keeping us “tuned in.”  Terrorism keeps us tuned in. Again, I  don’t want to act like it’s not a problem. It is! Just ask the people living in the midst of it in Gaza. They’ll tell you about it.

But for me, from the day that I met that sweet woman in Gaza I decided something. I wanted my world view shaped by Jesus instead the news. Amazing it took me so long to come to that elementary conclusion isn’t it? Jesus went into the tough areas of the day and He valued each and every person. If  He hadn’t valued each person, He’d have blown off the Samaritans, Matthew the Tax Collector, the Woman at the Well, and many others.

A good lesson learned. As followers of Jesus, we have to be wise and discerning. Sure the Middle East is home to some of the most feared terrorist groups in the world. But you know what? Not everyone is signing  up. Far from it.

That’s why I am excited about the web event, “Why Do You Fear Me?” on January 28th. Register for it and you will be informed, inspired and challenged. Carl, Ted, and David will stretch your thinking. We need it.